Overview

Clinical Rotations

The two-year residency is divided into 10 rotations during which the residents will go through different clinical specialty areas under the supervision of rotation-specific mentors. In addition, the residents are assigned a specific faculty adviser throughout the residency. The clinical rotations include:

• Orientation
• 3D Treatment Planning and Dosimetry
• Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) Treatment Planning
• Imaging for Radiation Therapy
• Brachytherapy (LDR and HDR)
• Stereotactic Radiosurgery
• Linear Accelerator Acceptance Testing and Commissioning
• MRI Guided and Adaptive Radiation Therapy
• Proton Therapy
• Radiation Shielding and Protection

In addition, the residents will have the opportunity to work on clinical developmental research projects during the residency.

Didactic Training

The residents are required to attend all weekly departmental conferences, clinical lecture series, new patient conferences, medical physics weekly journal club, departmental in-service training and didactic lectures.

Training Sites

The Medical Physics division in the Radiation Oncology Department is currently covering five radiation therapy venues with an additional three locations opening soon:

• Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center - Main
• Sylvester West
• Sylvester Deerfield Beach
• Sylvester at The Lennar Foundation Medical Center
• Jackson Memorial Hospital
• Sylvester Doral (coming in 2024)
• Sylvester Plantation (coming in 2024)
• Sylvester Aventura (coming in 2025)

The Radiation Oncology Department at SCCC is equipped with seven Varian linear accelerators including four TrueBeams and one Edge radiosurgery platform. There is an ETHOS adaptive radiotherapy system at Sylvester West. The Dwoskin Proton Therapy Center opened in September 2020 with a single vault Varian ProBeam. There are three Siemens CT simulators, an Elekta Flexitron HDR unit, a 3.0T Siemens MRI, Philips PET/CT and an Elekta Gamma Knife Perfexion. There are two Varian LINACs (one TrueBeam), an Elekta MicroSelectron HDR unit and an IntraBeam IORT system at the Jackson Memorial Hospital site. The department has active HDR and LDR brachytherapy programs including eye plaques, prostate seed implants, CivaSheet and Y-90 microspheres. The department operates on a completely electronic charting system using EPIC and ARIA.

Number of Residents

The program admits two residents each year. The goal is to have two first-year residents and two second-year residents in the program each year. Each new resident must start July 1st of each year.

Benefits

Medical Insurance: All residents will participate, free of cost, in the University of Miami’s Aetna 2 plan, the resident will be responsible for the premiums for each family member.

Dental Insurance: All residents will participate, free of cost, in the plan of their choice (plans listed below). If the resident wishes to have family members covered under their dental plan, the resident will be responsible for the premiums for each family member.

• Cigna DHMO Plan In-Network benefits only
• Delta Dental PPO Plan In-network and Out-of-Network benefits

Vision Insurance: An Annual Routine eye exam is included as part of the Aetna medical plan. Residents have the option of adding additional vision coverage under the VSP Vision program.

Counseling, Medical and Psychological Support Services: The “Employee Assistance Program (EAP)” is provided to all residents as a benefit of their employment by the University. Services include counseling, rehabilitation, alcohol and drug abuse, grief and loss, financial counseling, and others. The EAP is a confidential service which utilizes health care providers outside of the normal house staff experiences to assure privacy and freedom from interaction with colleagues and supervisors.

Long-term Disability: Coverage of a payment of 66 2/3% of salary (less social security and/or other benefit plans) to a maximum of $10,000 per month. There is a six-month waiting period after disability has been certified before commencement of benefits.

Short Term Disability Insurance: Option to enroll in short-term disability. Short-term disability offers salary support should they need to be out of work due to illness, injury or pregnancy. The per pay period percentage rate is based off the residents age. The resident must be enrolled in the plan for one full year before submitting a claim. Once the claim is approved, benefits are payable 15 working days following the last day worked. The Residents is responsible for sending in follow up claims every four weeks until the termination of the claim.

Life Insurance: Coverage which equals two times base annual salary rounded to the nearest $1,000 to a maximum of $100,000.

Professional Liability Insurance: The University of Miami will provide all residents with legal defense and protection against awards for all alleged act or omissions of the resident occurring during and within the scope of their University appointment and educational program during the course of their training as well as afterward. Professional liability protection is not provided to residents for incidents occurring outside the scope of their University employment or function.

Professional Education Allowance: $2,520/ per residency academic year. This can be used towards textbooks, professional society membership dues & fees and approved educational conference **Does not roll over if full amount is not used during the academic year.

Scrubs or Lab Coats: 2 new set of scrubs or 2 new lab coats per residency academic year

Vacation/Sick Time: Residents are eligible for a total of 4 weeks of paid vacation, medical, personal/sick leave and maternity/paternity leave per academic year.

Food: Resident have access to complimentary daily meals (breakfast, lunch, and snacks). 

Cell Phone Allowance: A cell phone allowance of $48 per month will be provided to the resident.

Salary: