HPTC RT Exam study guide
HPTC RT Exam · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The HPTC Radiation Therapist Exam is a certification-style examination for radiation therapists who deliver daily radiotherapy treatments and want independent, third-party validation of their knowledge. Candidates typically come from hospital cancer centres, private radiotherapy clinics, or academic programmes, and may hold a diploma or degree in radiation therapy with clinical placement experience. The HPTC RT Exam study guide has 8 sections and about 3,397 words.
01Radiation Safety and Protection
The Radiation Safety and Protection domain tests whether you can apply ALARA, dose limits, and shielding logic to real therapy-department situations rather than merely recite numbers. Questions probe the three pillars (time, distance, shielding), the regulatory framework (NRC 10 CFR 20 and 35, NCRP 147/151, ICRP 103), and practical controls such as surveys, badges, posting, and source handling.
462 words, about 2 min02Treatment Planning and Simulation
Treatment Planning and Simulation tests the chain from CT scan to an approved, deliverable plan: immobilization and indexing, image acquisition, volume definition, dose calculation, and plan evaluation against DVH criteria. Reproducibility starts with immobilization indexed to the couch (wing board, vac-lok, thermoplastic mask) and reference marks placed at the intended isocenter.
427 words, about 2 min03Treatment Delivery and Setup
Treatment Delivery and Setup examines the execution end of the workflow: reproducing the simulated setup, verifying it with imaging, delivering the approved plan, and managing everything that goes wrong while the patient is on the couch. Two patient identifiers plus a formal time-out covering name, site, laterality, fraction number, and any devices.
434 words, about 2 min04Patient Care and Assessment
Patient Care and Assessment covers the person on the table: assessing and documenting side effects, educating patients, managing devices, and escalating red flags. Questions are scenario-based and reward triage judgment over memorized drug lists.
367 words, about 2 min05Radiation Oncology Principles
Radiation Oncology Principles tests the biology and physics reasoning behind fractionation, dose prescription, and normal-tissue tolerance. Expect questions that ask you to compare schedules quantitatively or to identify which tissue constraint is at risk.
445 words, about 2 min06Equipment and Quality Assurance
Equipment and Quality Assurance tests what a linear accelerator, CT simulator, and brachytherapy unit contain and how each is verified at daily, monthly, and annual intervals. Questions are pinned to AAPM task group tolerances and to the clinical consequence of a failed test.
418 words, about 2 min07Dosimetry and Treatment Verification
Dosimetry and Treatment Verification tests whether you can independently confirm that planned dose is delivered dose, using hand calculations, calibrated chamber measurements, and patient-specific QA. Expect arithmetic plus judgment about action levels.
400 words, about 2 min08Professionalism and Ethics
Professionalism and Ethics tests judgment under pressure: scope of practice, consent, confidentiality, error disclosure, and regulatory reporting. Items usually describe a conflict between what is convenient and what is correct, and the best answer protects the patient and the record.
444 words, about 2 min