Radiation Oncology Part 1: National Medical Dosimetrist’s Day with the AAMD

At Epic Specialty Staffing, our specialty in helping cancer centers with radiation oncology professionals has become one of the most rewarding and successful aspects of our service to the healthcare field. With August 18, 2021, being recognized as the official National Medical Dosimetrist’s Day, we spoke with Ms. Lori Kasuske, Medical Dosimetrist and Immediate Past President of the American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD)!

Learning about the AAMD

With more than 3,000 members, the AAMD is the primary resource for medical dosimetrists and treatment planners throughout the world. They are the only professional association devoted exclusively to promoting and supporting the medical dosimetry and treatment planning profession.

As a sole dosimetrist in a rural hospital in South Dakota, Ms. Kasuske is extremely passionate about her profession and her community.

“I grew up in a small town of 600 people, graduated with 21 other students, and not only knew all my classmates’ names but their sibling’s names, their dog’s names, everything,” explains Ms. Kasuske.

“As much as I love it here, I was always finding that I wanted an outlet where I could continue to grow professionally.”

In 2009, she reached out to the AAMD who was having a meeting in Minneapolis, only a few hours away. Immediately, Ms. Kasuske felt an affinity for the professional association as it provided key insights, support, and resources for everyone in her industry.

“These meetings provided the feedback I was looking for – that even though my facility faces the challenges that rural hospitals face – that we were still providing excellent patient care – which is the most important thing.”

National Medical Dosimetrist’s Day 2021 – #CareBehindEveryPlan

With every year having a different theme, National Medical Dosimetrist’s Day is designated as the day for celebrating medical dosimetry professionals around the world. The AAMD recognizes the importance of the medical dosimetry profession and honors the contributions of all dosimetrists in the field. Dosimetrists are key members of a team that contributes to cancer survivorship on a daily basis. 

This year’s celebration theme, #CareBehindEveryPlan, was developed through a poster contest for members. The theme and poster highlight the passion that medical dosimetrists have for providing excellent patient care. The AAMD is also hosting a FREE Educational Webinar Series from August 16-20th that is open to members as well as non-members.

“Medical dosimetry is a very exciting and amazing career opportunity,” says Ms. Kasuske. She is both a Radiation Therapist and became a Certified Medical Dosimetrist in 2008. “We are seeing that there will be a shortage of dosimetrists in the near future… so if anyone is interested in pursuing this career, I highly recommend they explore their options in medical dosimetry,” says Ms. Kasuske.

How to Celebrate:

The AAMD put together some fun and creative ideas to celebrate the dosimetrists near you! 

• Host a reception for hospital/facility staff in the medical dosimetry department. Invite them to see what you do! (Offering some type of food — ice cream, bagels, coffee, cookies, etc — provides an additional incentive for people to stop by!). 
• Bring in a massage therapist to provide chair massages to your colleagues on National Medical Dosimetrist’s Day!
• Provide refreshments, flowers, or other treats for patients on National Medical Dosimetrist’s Day or throughout that week or even during the month of August. Make a sign or tag saying: Courtesy of your medical dosimetry team.
• Have your medical dosimetry team introduce themselves to patients during the month of August and answer their questions about treatment planning.
• Suggest to your facility’s PR department that they do a story on the medical dosimetry department in the next facility newsletter.
• Host a lunch for the entire radiation therapy team at your facility to thank your colleagues for their collaboration with the medical dosimetry team.
• Make a commitment to get involved in your professional organization — volunteer for an AAMD Committee! Click here for details on volunteer opportunities.

Epic Specialty Staffing – A Partner for Medical Dosimetrists Around the Nation

As a corporate partner with the AAMD, Epic Specialty Staffing is devoted to helping facilitate and provide ongoing solutions and opportunities for our partners in the radiation oncology and treatment planning fields. To learn more, contact us today.