Citation

Sprawls P, Fox M. Med. Phys. 2012; 39(6): 3596.

Affiliation

Sprawls Educational Foundation, Montreat, NC.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1118/1.4734598

PMID

22755742

Abstract

Providing medical physics education to the general society has two valuable goals. For adults it helps them develop an understanding of medical science, technology, and clinical applications that they might encounter and have a better comprehension of a variety of scientific and technical issues in the news media. For students it enhances their interest in physics by showing applications that provide major benefits to society and introduces possible career paths. In the first part Perry Sprawls describes educational activities for adults. A course generally begins with the principles of the various imaging modalities with an emphasis on what can be visualized with each and typical clinical applications. The principles of modern radiation therapy are included with special attention to terminology associated with the various methods. There is always an interest in the effects of radiation so that is included with emphasis of benefits to risk. I always include one class on cardiac electronics, a special interest of mine, and plan to add a session on the physics and technology associated with hearing in future programs.Google Images is an excellent resource that can provide extensive visuals for courses of this type. Community senior-adult lifelong learning courses and programs sponsored by Road Scholar, formerly ElderHostel, provide opportunities for medical physicists to share their knowledge and experience with citizens in their local communities. The second half of this symposium, given by Mary Fox, will focus on the elementary & high school age group. How do you educate young students about the career of medical physics? A sample presentation along with ideas for speaking to both these age levels will be demonstrated.Learning Objectives:1. Provide adults with the knowledge to understand various medical procedures and effectively communicate with medical professionals.2. Enhance the ability of adults to understand a variety of scientific and technological issues that are in the news3. Provide the medical physicists with examples of presentation material for elementary and high school age groups.

Language: en