0 or 3 credits
Fall 2025 Lecture Internship
This internship course provides didactic training and practical experience in clinical diagnostic medical physics. Students will spend 3-4 hours per week learning the responsibilities of a medical physicist in MRI quality assurance (QA) such as MRI system performance testing, setting up weekly MRI QA procedures, analysis of MRI QA data, and annual clinical system evaluations. In Part I students will observe and review the weekly MRI QA tests performed by the MR Technologists on clinical MRI scanners and be involved with data analysis of these tests (image quality assessment, reporting). Annual MRI system performance evaluations of different clinical scanners will be observed and discussed. This includes assessing magnetic field homogeneity, slice position accuracy and slice thickness accuracy, and performance of radio frequency coil tests on the various coils available at different clinical MRI sites in the Indianapolis area. Students will also work as a team with the instructors on a course project to develop and evaluate advanced MR QA methods and procedures. Prerequisites: HSCI 57000. Having documented experience in running an MRI scanner, e.g., having primary operator status on one of the research scanners at Purdue or IU. Level II MRI Safety Training: http://www.indiana.edu/~mri/safety_nonIU/safety.html. Permission of instructor required.
Learning Outcomes1Understand the basic elements and clinical rationale in the QA program for MRI scanners.
2Understand the significance of frequency and transmitter gain stability, geometric accuracy, slice position accuracy, high contrast resolution, low contrast detectability and artifacts, etc.
3Understand the requirements for weekly and annual QA tests as required by ACR.
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.