Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Publications
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Heather Love

Guelph,Canada

Summary

Healthcare professional with comprehensive experience in delivering precise and compassionate radiation therapy. Consistently implement accurate treatment plans to contribute to patient recovery and safety. Reliable team player with focus on collaboration, adaptability, and empathy, showcasing excellent communication and technical skills.

Overview

18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Radiation Therapist

Waterloo Wellington Regional Cancer Program
09.2008 - Current
  • Communicate with patients and their care partners to provide them with a welcoming and in-depth education prior to CT simulation.
  • Fabricate various immobilization devices and treatment accessories such as Aquaplast masks, Vac Lok bags, custom bolus, custom head rests, breast slings and shells, electron cut-outs, and cerrobend blocks.
  • Simulate patients for all treatment techniques by performing routine CT scans as well as comples scans such as prone breast, breath hold, gating and SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy) scans, as well as oral and IV contrast administration.
  • Plan palliative treatments in Eclipse according to the physician’s prescription.
  • Educate patients and their care partners about their treatment plan, expected side effects, as well as management recommendations throughout their treatment course to reduce anxiety and promote adherence to departmental recommendations.
  • Position patients accurately, check measurements, acquire pre-treatment images, perform image registrations and image matches, and safely deliver radiation using a variety of treatment techniques.
  • Problem solve for difficult treatment set-ups, imaging issues, and treatment delivery complications.
  • Maintain detailed patient records, ensuring accuracy and completeness for future reference by healthcare professionals involved in the patient's care.
  • Deliver treatment using an orthovoltage machine for superficial skin lesions.
  • Develop and maintain professional working relationships with fellow radiation therapists and other members of the multidisciplinary team, including physicians, nurses, clinical assistants, receptionists, social workers, and dieticians.
  • Develop and maintain close working relationships with radiation therapy students, with a focus on patient education and communication, treatment set-up and problem solving skills, pre-treatment imaging, treatment delivery, CT simulation, tattooing, and simple planning.
  • Enable students to learn in a safe, effective, and encouraging environment, acting as a role model for compassion, empathy, and best practice techniques.
  • Evaluate students on a regular basis, providing written and oral feedback to both the student and their clinical instructor.
  • Led a research initiative that aimed to advance the field of radiation oncology.
  • Departmental trainer for Varian True Beam linear accelerators (2014).
  • Member of various committees within the cancer centre including: IGRT working group, follow-up phone call committee, employee satisfaction committee, treatment suite unit council, radiation therapy unit council, weekly QA update committee (2010-present).
  • Preceptor 1 (Learning Styles) and Preceptor 2 (The Effective Preceptor) courses completed (2015)
  • Completed CT Imaging 1 course through the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologist (2011) and a CT simulation course that was designed within our department (2024).
  • Presenter at the 2013 RTi3 conference.

Radiation Therapist

Juravinski Cancer Centre
10.2007 - 09.2008
  • Employed at the JCC as a new graduate, working on the treatment unit focusing on patient care and side effect management, pre-treatment imaging, treatment delivery, building relationships within the multidisciplinary team, and mentoring students.

Education

Master of Science - Radiotherapy And Oncology

Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield, United Kingdom
02-2018

Bachelor of Science - Medical Radiation Science

University of Toronto/The Michener Institute
Toronto, Ontario
08-2007

Biochemistry

McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario
01.2004

Skills

  • 18 years of experience as a Radiation Therapist in the province of Ontario
  • Areas of Expertise include:
  • Compassionate patient care, empathy and patience
  • Strong verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills
  • Guidance for radiation therapy students
  • Patient immobilization and positioning
  • Computed tomography simulation
  • Treatment imaging and delivery
  • Side effect management
  • Palliative treatment planning
  • Ability to collaborate with and work well within the multi-disciplinary team

Publications

Love, H. (2018). Inter- and Intrafaction Set-Up Error during Intracranial SRS: An Anaylsis of Two Immobilization Systems. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 49(1), S3-S4. 


Certification

  • Member of the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario
  • CPR certified (Basic Life Support for health care providers)


Timeline

Radiation Therapist

Waterloo Wellington Regional Cancer Program
09.2008 - Current

Radiation Therapist

Juravinski Cancer Centre
10.2007 - 09.2008

Master of Science - Radiotherapy And Oncology

Sheffield Hallam University

Bachelor of Science - Medical Radiation Science

University of Toronto/The Michener Institute

Biochemistry

McMaster University

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