Due to a limited supply, we are unable to accept phone calls to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations.
For the most up-to-date information, please check our COVID-19 Vaccination Website.
A lot of planning goes into your radiation therapy even before you get your first treatment. Planning includes the steps below:
When you get to the Radiation Oncology Department, you must check in at the front desk. The first time you check in, we will give you an ID card. We will ask you for this card at every visit, so please keep it with you at all times. We will place a white bracelet around your wrist and direct you to a waiting room. At this point, you are officially checked in.
While having treatment, you will see your radiation doctor for an exam once per week on the same day each week. This is called your “on-treatment” day. Please allow at least one hour for your on-treatment day. After you have your daily radiation on your on-treatment day, you will check in at the nurses’ desk (next to the waiting room) with your ID card to see your radiation doctor.
On-treatment clinic times most often run from 7am to 5pm. Please check the radiation oncology schedule for the day you will be seen by your radiation doctor. We will let you know about any schedule changes. Once you are given a time slot, you will stay in that slot for your daily treatment. Please note that our daily schedule is tightly booked. If you have a conflict, we will do our best to meet your change requests.
Because radiation treatment is complex, it sometimes takes longer than we expect to complete a treatment. Please plan on being here for one hour, although we will most often complete your treatment sooner. If we are running behind schedule, we will tell you while you are in the waiting room. If you are waiting longer than 15 minutes and have not yet been taken for treatment or received an update, please let us know at the nurses’ desk.
We suggest that you do not miss any scheduled treatment days. If you miss a treatment due to a holiday or an emergency, we will add that day(s) to the end of your schedule. You must complete the entire number of treatments prescribed by your radiation doctor for maximum benefit.
We understand how hard it can be to schedule different treatments, tests or visits in a single day. Some chemotherapy treatments take many hours and sometimes the doctor will want your chemotherapy to be before your radiation treatment as part of your treatment plan. If you are getting radiation and chemotherapy at the same time, scheduling your chemotherapy in the morning is best so that there is enough time for you to get each treatment. This may cause you to arrive early or late for your radiation appointment, but that is okay. You may come down to the radiation department after your chemotherapy, and we will start your treatment as soon as we can.
You may bring family members or friends with you to your radiation treatments and/or clinical exams. Waiting-room space fills quickly, so please limit your number of guests. Please tell the nurse if someone will be joining you in the exam room on your on-treatment day.
Radiation therapy is given Monday through Friday. Treatments are not given on Saturdays or Sundays except in urgent situations. We are closed on these holidays:
Vacations/Maintenance Scheduling
Fox Chase is committed to making sure your treatment plan runs as smoothly as possible. Please schedule any vacations at least one week after you have finished your entire course of treatment. While Fox Chase engineers perform regular preventative maintenance on our machines, we sometimes have mechanical issues. This may cause your treatment to be canceled for a day, causing the day missed to be added to the end of your treatment schedule. We will let you know in advance if this happens. Please give us a number where you can be reached in case of a mechanical delay.