September 22, 2009
Michael Schweizer has been hired as the dosimetrist at Central Vermont Medical Center’s National Life Cancer Treatment Center.
He was most recently employed as a dosimetrist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Michael also worked as dosimetrist/chief radiation therapist at the Sparta Cancer Center in Sparta, New Jersey. His education includes a course of study in Electrical Theory at Empire State College (SUNY) in Saratoga Springs, New York followed by earning diplomas at several New Jersey institutions including Hackensack Medical Center School of Radiography, St. Barnabas Medical Center School of Radiation Therapy and the Metropolitan Radiation Academy School of Medical Dosimetry.
“A medical dosimetrist,” Michael explained, “is responsible for designing the treatment plan as directed by a physician who specializes in radiation oncology. The doctor writes a prescription for a radiation dosage to a specific tumor or body part. The next step for the patient is to have a treatment planning three-dimensional CT scan in the treatment position. The CT scan is transferred to the treatment planning system. The dosimitrist then creates a virtual simulation of the radiation treatment. The dosimitrist’s responsibility is to create a plan that will deliver maximum dose to the prescribed area and at the same time minimize the dose to closely adjoining normal organs and tissues.”
“My job as the dosimitrist on the cancer center team, fighting cancer and being able to help patients overcome this terrible illness and its symptoms is incredibly rewarding,” Michael concluded.
Radiation treatment is recommended based on the site and stage of cancer the patient has and the age of the patient. Prostate cancer is primarily treated by radiation. For many other cancers radiation is used alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy and surgery.
Michael lives in Morrisville with his wife Lynette and children Melissa, age 6, Matthew age 4 and Robert who is 19 months old.
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