Mienke Botha

To whom it may concern:

I am an accomplished, hardworking Radiation Therapist from Western Cape, who has served my duties at Grootte Schuur Hospital for the past 10 years. During this time of my career, I have had numerous roles and responsibilities on a rotational basis throughout the entire department. This includes treatment of patients on Linear Accelerators and Halcyon, quality assurance of patient treatment data, CT and Simulation for target delineation, as well as treatment planning on Eclipse TPS version 15.5. My dedication and passion to this career has showcased my ability to lead and perform under immense pressure, as I have been a unit manager on the treatment units, as well as at the CT.

I have always had an incredible passion for treatment planning, and made it evident during my career at GSH by investing my time to upskill myself with planning, even though I wasn't rotating through this section of the department. This resulted in me being chosen to be a permanent planner, when the need came, in January 2023 and could just step in without any training needed.

During my 10 years of experience, I have been planning for approximately 4 years in total (taking my rotations and stand-ins into account), gaining knowledge and experience from incredible individuals who are well known in radiotherapy, and have felt an overwhelming amount fulfillment in doing what I love, treatment planning.

Since I could remember as a student, my focus and attention was always drawn to treatment planning, and the excitement it brought me to think out of the box, as every patients needs are different. I have significant experience in 3DCRT and VMAT planning techniques (including SIB treatments), good experience in planning specialized cases such as Craniospinal (VMAT) and Total body Irradiation techniques, as well as some Stereotactic planning experience. I have minimal experience in IMRT, as our department doesn't make use of this technique, however, I am an incredibly fast learner, and in conjunction with my knowledge, insight, and attention to detail, I would be able to adapt to any planning techniques needed with precision.

I have been humbled to work with some of the best doctors and physicists in the field, learning from each other and working as a multidisciplinary team to deliver the best treatment to our patients. The teamwork aspect of radiotherapy is such an important part for me, because if one link is broken in the chain, it will affect all other departments. This motivates me to perform to my utmost best at all times, as my responsibility in this chain is incredibly important for my patients overall outcome.

I have also been humbled to be part of Varian's Access to Care training for many years. Since 2018 I have been able to share my planning knowledge with other countries, and seeing how they evolve from minimal experience, to incredible departments saving lives in their communities. I have assisted in access to care training (2D to 3D planning) from 2018 to 2020 and then again in 2022 and 2023 for more advanced techniques.

Apart from Access to care, I also teach students continuously throughout the year, helping to set them up for a successful career after graduation. Being part of a hospital such as Grootte Schuur, teaching has been a big part of my career, and I thoroughly enjoy playing a part in the upskill of not only students, but doctors and fellow collages on a daily basis.

Radiotherapy as a career has enriched me as an individual in more than one way. The pleasure of walking a path with a patient during their illness, and me being able to play a small part in their journey towards healing, is the key to a successful and positive outlook on radiotherapy as an occupation. I take pride in the fact that I am an organized and dependable individual, successful at managing multiple priorities with a positive attitude, as well as being willing to take on added responsibilities, to ensure a successful outcome for patient treatment.

Since the start of my career as a RTT, my motto has been to treat every single one of my patients to the best of my ability, the way I would have wanted to be treated if I had to be in their shoes. Till this day, I still live by this vision.

I am humbled to be able to have shared a bit about myself and my experience with you, and hereby wish to apply for a position as a Centralized planning Radiotherapist at your institution. I trust that you will give my application favorable consideration.

• Gender: Female
• Address: 238 The Vineyard Complex

Pinot Blanc Road

Burgundy Estate

7441

• Place of Birth: Cape Town
• Date of Birth: 21 April 1992
• ID number: 9204210201082
• Marital Status: Engaged
• Dependants: 0

Ms T.Nel (Planning Manager)

Groote Schuur Hospital

021 404 4310

Email: Tracy.Nel@westerncape.gov.za

Brendon Smith (Medical Physicist)

Grootte Schuur Hospital

021 404 6180

083 397 8634

Email: brendon.smith@uct.ac.za

Mrs.T Naiker (Radiation Oncologist)

Grootte Schuur Hospital

021 404 4270

Email: thuran.naiker@uct.ac.za