EXPERIMENTAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS FOR MEDICAL PHYSICS - 2025/6
Module code: PHYM054
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
Overall student workload
Workshop Hours: 3
Independent Learning Hours: 72
Lecture Hours: 17
Seminar Hours: 2
Laboratory Hours: 38
Guided Learning: 10
Captured Content: 8
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, each over two sessions. Experiments may include alpha, beta and gamma spectroscopy, radiation survey and decontamination, dosimetry, X-ray fluorescence.
An Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Awareness workshop.
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Mock Research Proposal | 34 |
| Coursework | Lab Report 1 | 33 |
| Coursework | Lab Report 2 | 33 |
| Practical based assessment | EDI Awareness Engagement | Pass/Fail |
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.
Two laboratory reports.
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
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 005 | Provide concise and accurate reporting of findings, including limitations resulting from an appreciation of equipment capability and the availability of calibration standards | PT |
| 006 | Understand the principles of research ethics and intellectual property and their application to a practical context | PT |
| 007 | Recognise benefits of equality, diversity and inclusion and identify causes and effects of unconscious bias | T |
| 001 | Achieve a systematic understanding of the fundamental processes involved with the interaction of X- and gamma-ray photons, charged particles and neutrons with matter | KC |
| 002 | Critically analyse and perform self-directed problem solving of the practical aspects of handling radioactive substances | KPT |
| 003 | Understand basic evaluation of experimental data using standard statistical methods | CPT |
| 004 | Critically apply statistical analysis techniques to specialised radiometric data through appropriate software tools | KPT |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
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:
- Lecture on report writing skills
- Lecture on EDI
- 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.
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
Other information
The School of Mathematics and Physics is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:
Digital capabilities: Throughout the module students will engage with complex datasets and will develop their computational skills in analysing this data using dedicated software and/or their own code.
Employability: The module introduces learners to experimental equipment and techniques used by professional scientists in both industry and academia. Students will learn health and safety and technical aspects and work together in small groups to perform experiment; they will produce reports summarising their work. The module, therefore, represents a key opportunity to practise and develop problem solving skills.
Outside experimental sessions, the students will learn additional professional skills such as research ethics, intellectual property protection that will be support them in future careers in healthcare, academia or industry.
Resourcefulness and Resilience: Problem solving is a key component of this module. Students will be required to draw upon individual and collective resourcefulness and develop a problem-solving mindset as they work on their experiments.
Global and Cultural Capabilities: The module includes an Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) workshop which aims to increase awareness of cultural, religious, or racial differences while delivering information about how a person can change their behaviour to be more inclusive. Through this training, students are encouraged to diversify their knowledge and reflect upon their experiences as a physicist and in education.
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Physics MSc | 1 | Compulsory | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
| Physics MSc | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
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 2025/6 academic year.