Radiation Physics book and new Khan

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goodluck888

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Anybody has comment on new Khan that came out in May 2009?

http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Radia...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244815390&sr=8-1

It seems Khan is the bible for physics board, but people also complain having pain to read it. Any other good physics book that is popular in resident's hand? Thanks,

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I recommend Applied Physics for Radiation Oncology by Stanton and Stinson.

http://www.amazon.com/Applied-Physi...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245119455&sr=8-2

This is a bit out of date (like 10+ yrs) but still covers the basics of physics you need in terms one can read and understand. You won't find much on IMRT, IGRT, etc., but that's ok, you learn those in the clinic as you do them. I supplemented this book with Coggiano note and old Raphex exams when it was crunch time for the board.

As long as Khan is written for medical physicists as target readers, it's going to be unreadable for most rad oncs.
 
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As long as Khan is written for medical physicists as target readers, it's going to be unreadable for most rad oncs.

The funny thing is that a lot of physicists feel that Khan, et al, are not written at an appropriate level for physicists (i.e. geared too much toward rad oncs and dosimetrists). I believe the technical term is "a disturbing lack of integrals" :) in much of the book.

I think radiation therapy is just too small of a field for there to be quality books on therapy physics aimed at all of the different groups, resulting in a few books that no one is really happy with...
 
Clint Park's advice is spot on, I think. All of the senior resident's I've spoken to use some combination of their physics lecture notes, recalls, and old RAPHEX exams to study for physics boards. Unlike Hall, which many read cover to cover in preparation for radbio boards, very few people touch Khan with a 10 foot pole. I'm one of the idiots who bought Khan due to youthful indiscretion and now it is only useful as a doorstop/paperweight . . .:)
 
Clint Park's advice is spot on, I think. All of the senior resident's I've spoken to use some combination of their physics lecture notes, recalls, and old RAPHEX exams to study for physics boards. Unlike Hall, which many read cover to cover in preparation for radbio boards, very few people touch Khan with a 10 foot pole. I'm one of the idiots who bought Khan due to youthful indiscretion and now it is only useful as a doorstop/paperweight . . .:)

It'll make you look smart when you people see it on your bookshelf in practice :laugh:
 
Maybe Dr. Kao from the VA should have spent more time reading Khan especially the QA section!:scared:
 
I recommend Applied Physics for Radiation Oncology by Stanton and Stinson.

http://www.amazon.com/Applied-Physi...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245119455&sr=8-2

This is a bit out of date (like 10+ yrs) but still covers the basics of physics you need in terms one can read and understand. You won't find much on IMRT, IGRT, etc., but that's ok, you learn those in the clinic as you do them. I supplemented this book with Coggiano note and old Raphex exams when it was crunch time for the board.

Good advice. The Caggiano notes come from the Osler review course (at least the old ones I've seen and used). They are MUCH more readable than Khan, and I honestly wished I had used them from Day 1. Stanton and Stinson is also quite readable.

That being said, plenty of people have recommended Khan for the brachytherapy section alone, as the Stanton/Stinton book is a little sparse in this area.
 
Hey, where can I get a copy of these Caggiano notes? Anyone have an electronic copy they could PM me? Thanks. ND
 
Clint Park's advice is spot on, I think. All of the senior resident's I've spoken to use some combination of their physics lecture notes, recalls, and old RAPHEX exams to study for physics boards. Unlike Hall, which many read cover to cover in preparation for radbio boards, very few people touch Khan with a 10 foot pole. I'm one of the idiots who bought Khan due to youthful indiscretion and now it is only useful as a doorstop/paperweight . . .:)

Gfunk6, Where can I find old RAPHEX exams? Did they publish on-line? Is RAPHEX exam for RadOnc the same as for Radiology? Thanks,
 
Larger residency programs frequently have archives of old RAPHEX exams acquired from various sources. You can purchase them on-line or try to find free ones that have been uploaded. Just google it. My understanding is that RAPHEX exams are combinations of general physics and rad onc/rads physics. They are meant to be practice for boards in both specialties.
 
Just to add on to Gfunk's response, the RAPHEX starts out with about 95-100 General questions, followed by 95-100 Diagnostic-specific questions, and finally 95ish Therapeutic questions. It's mostly EMR theory and government regulations for General (which would apply to both), and then some specific questions on data storage, government regulations, the way various modalities and devices function, and a whole bunch of specific dosimetry questions (how would you dose to get a certain quality of image for diagnostics or how much would be necessary for intended therapeutic effect in therapy, for various given regions, body parts, fields, and state conditions). I think you can find a few full RAPHEX exams complete with solutions on Scribd or by Googling for them, as has been mentioned.
 
Back to the original question. Has anyone bought or looked at the new edition of Khan? Is it any better than the previous (unreadable) version?
 
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