Virtual Course in Radiopharmacy
The VirRAD courseware aims to provide you with on-line radiopharmacy learning materials that may be accessed at any time, anywhere in the world. This course has been designed so that it may be used for self-directed learning, so you don't need the guidance of a tutor.
This course is divided into three modules, Radiopharmaceutical Preparation, Radionuclide Generators and Quality Control. Each module can be viewed as an individual unit; however, they are highly interconnected and together provide a coherent picture of basic radiopharmacy principles.
The suggested route through the courseware takes you through the Radiopharmaceutical Preparation process. The videos depict each stage of the preparation and so are useful to those who are not familiar with performing these practical elements in a lab. You may either click on a video image to play it and then click 'Learn More' to learn about the steps in more detail, or you may wish to watch all the videos in sequence before looking at these explanatory pages.
For learners with experience of preparing radiopharmaceuticals, we suggest you go directly to the procedural explanations, by clicking on each 'Learn More' button. Here you will find explanatory text, videos and in some cases animations and slideshows, with which you may interact to test your understanding.
Some procedures may be practised in the 3D lab by clicking on the associated 'Practise in 3D lab' button. The entire procedure may be practised in the 3D lab by accessing the lab from the beginning, using the menu at the top right of the screen.
The 99mTc generator is central to most preparations as 99mTc is the most commonly used radionuclide. The Radionuclide Generators module provides practical background on how the 99mTc generator is used in the preparation as well as significant theoretical background to help you understand how generators work. Although this information is available from the Radiopharmaceutical Preparation module, you may choose to access these topics directly, by clicking on the links to the left of the videos.
Quality control procedures are applied at a number of stages during the preparation to ensure the quality of the radiopharmaceutical. The Quality Control module details how these techniques are performed in a lab and when techniques should be applied and why. Again, this information is available from within the Radiopharmaceutical Preparation module, but you may also access these topics directly, by clicking on the links to the left of the videos.
We suggest you test your knowledge regularly using animations, slideshows, self-assessment questions and the 3D lab, in order to reflect upon what you have learned so that you may revise appropriately