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Brittany Bird
April 28, 2017
Professional Service
Professional Service Learning Journal
The American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD) is a national society that
promotes and supports medical dosimetrists and offers educational opportunities for both
professionals and students. The AAMD holds annual and regional meetings in various exciting
new locations such as Indianapolis, Nashville, and Niagara Falls. Attendees gain continuing
education credits for each presentation and are encouraged to participate in several updated
workshop sessions that allow users to learn new tips and tricks. These meetings are an excellent
opportunity for networking, meeting continuing education (CE) requirements, and keeping up-to-
date on the new advancing technology.
I recently had the chance to attend the AAMD Region V Meeting on April 7-8, held in
Nashville, TN at the Hotel Preston. The AAMD offers a discounted rate for dosimetry students
to be able to take part in meetings and further their education. I was fortunate enough that I lived
nearby and the program committee allowed both myself and another University of Wisconsin-La
Crosse student to volunteer to fulfill our professional service learning project. We were located
at the registration table, where we welcomed guests and handed out their designated name
badges and bracelets. The bracelets were electronic and once scanned, recorded the guests
presence for each presentation in order to obtain CE credits. During each presentation, we had to
scan each individuals bracelet and monitor if any new incoming guests entered into the
conference room. We also handed out program itineraries, answered any questions that the
attendees had, and introduced presenters. One of my weaknesses is speaking in front of large
audiences that Im unfamiliar with, and the task of having to introduce presenters helped me to
alleviate this fear. A few of the topics that were discussed during this meeting included prone
breast radiotherapy, hippocampal sparing, variability in planning and contouring, soft tissue
sarcoma (STS) treatments, and volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) versus dynamic conformal arcs
in stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) planning. Breakfast and lunch were both provided and
throughout program intermissions attendees were able to visit the exhibits and discuss among
colleagues. Vendors including Oncology Data Systems, Phillips, ProKnow, Provision
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Healthcare, RaySearch, Revenue Cycle, and Varian Medical Systems had products displayed and
representatives on-site.
The presentation entitled SRS Plan Quality and Treatment Efficiency: VMAT versus
Dynamic Conformal Arcs, presented by Ahpa Plypoo, MS, CMD, DABR, triggered my interest
the most. The facility where I am currently performing my clinical rotation recently started to
incorporate dynamic conformal arcs into some of their SRS treatment plans. I was intrigued at
the difference in time it took to plan such a precise treatment, as using the dynamic conformal
arcs required less planning time. The presentation offered at the regional meeting introduced me
to some new concepts including that dynamic conformal arcs treat less tissue with the 50%
isodose line, it allows for a decrease in monitor units, reduces intra-leaf leakage, intermittent
patient motion throughout the treatment, and overall beam on time. SRS planning should
typically use an arrangement of arcs focused mainly on one side of the patient in order to spare
as much normal brain tissue as possible. The hot spot should be located within the PTV and in
optimization the dose rings should be a main priority. As I continue to advance in the clinical
and didactic portion of the medical dosimetry program, I hope to obtain more knowledge and
skills necessary to develop an optimal SRS treatment plan.
Volunteering at the AAMD regional meeting was an overall great experience, in that I
had the pleasure of getting to know another classmate better and network with several people in
our profession. The program committee of the AAMD, made us feel very welcome and I cant
thank them enough for allowing us to be able to volunteer. Reflecting on this experience, if it
werent for our course requirement to volunteer within a professional organization, I dont think
I would have selected this opportunity for myself. Now that I have experienced first-hand a
small glimpse of what its like to volunteer within the AAMD on a regional level, I definitely see
myself in the future volunteering for this professional organization again. I think its important
to get involved within the professional societies that you are a member of. Through active
participation and involvement, it puts you on a platform where you have to interact with other
individuals and participate in speaking engagements. Networking with fellow colleagues and
expanding our knowledge of new techniques that can be implemented and applied to treatment
planning is key in our field.
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Figures

Figure 1. Program itinerary for the AAMD Region V meeting held in Nashville, TN.

Figure 2. The scanner we used to identify members present for each presentation.
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Figure 3. Another student and I representing the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse Medical
Dosimetry Program by helping out at the sign-in booth.

Figure 4. A presentation taking place in the conference room.

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Figure 6. One of the several vendor booths with representatives on-site.