Mould Room

Our Mould Room is designed for students to practice and understand the fundamental radiotherapy principles associated with immobilisation, beam directional shell preparation, localisation and shielding.

Students are encouraged to fully immerse themselves in the role of a mould room radiographer and have the opportunity to practice the relevant clinical; communication and problem-solving skills in a safe environment. Some of the skills that we cultivate within the mould room suite include:

Beam directional shell production

Students  have the opportunity to practice making rigid Vivak shells which includes taking a Plaster of Paris impresson, producing Plaster of Paris busts, vacuum forming and fitting the final shell.

Production of individual lead cut outs for the treatment of skin cancers

Students work through the steps required to create an individual lead cut out.  As well as the practical skills that are developed, students are encouraged to think about the health and safety implications of working with lead and the precautions that need to be in place.

Contour taking/manual localisation

In today's technology-driven clinical environment, it is easy to forget the fundamental principles associated with treatment plan production. During simulated placements, students are encouraged to think beyond CT images and use other methods to produce contours and target volumes for later use in the planning process.

Manual block cutting

The introduction of MLCs into clinical practice has reduced the need for custom made shielding blocks; however, the process of manually cutting such blocks helps the student to develop hand-eye coordination and to visualise beam divergence and the impact that this has.

Immobilisation

During simulated placements in the Mould Room, students are encouraged to think about the requirements for immobilisaiton devices as well as practice constructing vacubag immobilisation for different parts of the body.