What is the ProCure Training and Development Center?

The ProCure Training and Development Center (TDC) is the world's first and only facility dedicated exclusively to proton therapy training. The training rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that simulate the total work environment for treating patients, with everything but the protons.

The TDC has three treatment simulators available for training:

• An inclined-beam room that simulates the ability to direct the proton beam at two angles: horizontal and 60 degrees inclined from the horizontal
• A gantry room that simulates the full rotation of the proton beam (360 degrees) around the patient
• A fully operational CT scanner with 4D capabilities that trains radiation therapists to define or "map" the location of the tumor to enable precise treatment with the beam

Why is a training facility for proton therapy necessary?

There are too few medical physicists, technicians and others trained in proton therapy to meet the needs of a growing field of medicine. The TDC offers before-the-job training so staff can learn to operate the technology and be ready to treat patients when proton therapy centers open.

Who receives training?

The TDC provides the full range of training required for a proton center, from a concentration on the necessary sophisticated technical skills to the "softer" skills, such as empathy training, that provide comfort and assurance to patients. The training is geared specifically to the needs of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists and other staff involved in proton therapy treatment and patient care.