EXPERIMENTAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS FOR MEDICAL PHYSICS - 2023/4

Module Overview

The module will provide students with practical skills and background knowledge needed to work in a clinical setting. It includes two seminars/workshop on research ethics and intellectual property and a set of radiation laboratory experiments.

Module provider

Mathematics & Physics

Module Leader

PANI Silvia (Maths & Phys)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

The module includes:

• 
  Seminar/workshop on intellectual property and research ethics.
  


• 
  Lectures on the NHS, on electrical safety and on ionising radiation regulations (IRR/IR(ME)R).
  


• 
  Lectures on data handling and report writing skills.
  


• 
  Scripted experiments that students undertake in pairs, one per week.  Students undertake 6 one-week experiments. Experiments include alpha, beta and gamma spectroscopy, radiation survey and decontamination, dosimetry, X-ray fluorescence.
  


• 
  An Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Awareness workshop
  
   
  

 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their awareness of research ethics and intellectual property protection as well as their understanding of the functioning of spectroscopy chains and radiation detection processes.

 

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• 
  One mock research proposal (2000 words), to be submitted typically in week 9.
  


• 
  Two laboratory reports (2000 words), to be submitted typically in weeks 8 and 12.
  


• 
  Assessment of engagement with the EDI Awareness Workshop: open book quiz with unlimited re-attempts, but it must be passed in order to pass the module.
  

Formative assessment

During the report writing session, students test their understanding of the correct structure for a lab report by working in group on scoring reports from previous year.

 

Feedback

Verbal feedback will be given regularly during the sessions. The written feedback from the first laboratory report will inform the submission of the second report.

 

Module aims

• Provide the student with an understanding of research ethics and intellectual property management.
• Provide the student with the comprehensive understanding of the experimental use of radioactive materials, radiation counting, spectroscopy equipment, dosimetry measurements and standard radiation experimental techniques.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• 
  Expose the students to the implications of research ethics in the context of the National Healthcare Service and medical research with humans/animals through academic-led group discussion of ethical dilemmas.
  


• 
  Allow them to gain practical experience in the handling of laboratory equipment and radioactive sources and relate experiments to the theory seen in lectures.
  

 

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lectures on statistical methods and report writing skills 


• Lectures on the NHS and on electrical safety 


• Lecture on Ionising Radiation Regulations (IRR) and Ionising Radiation Medical Exposure (IRMER) Regulations 


• Seminar on Intellectual Property 


• Workshop on Research Ethics 


• Scripted experiments, to be carried out in pairs or small groups in 3-hour sessions (two sessions/experiment).

 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: PHYM054

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2023/4 academic year.