Career profile Radiation Therapist

Table of Contents

• What does a Radiation Therapist do?
• What is a typical salary for a Radiation Therapist?
• What personality traits are common among Radiation Therapists?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Radiation Therapists need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Radiation Therapist do?

Radiation Therapists provide radiation therapy to patients as prescribed by a radiation oncologist according to established practices and standards.

In addition, Radiation Therapists

• duties may include reviewing prescription and diagnosis; acting as liaison with physician and supportive care personnel; preparing equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, and protection devices; and maintaining records, reports, and files,
• may assist in dosimetry procedures and tumor localization.

What kind of tasks does a Radiation Therapist perform regularly?

Radiation Therapists are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• Administer prescribed doses of radiation to specific body parts, using radiation therapy equipment according to established practices and standards.
• Position patients for treatment with accuracy, according to prescription.
• Follow principles of radiation protection for patient, self, and others.
• Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification.
• Conduct most treatment sessions independently, in accordance with the long-term treatment plan and under the general direction of the patient's physician.
• Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage.
• Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation.
• Observe and reassure patients during treatment and report unusual reactions to physician or turn equipment off if unexpected adverse reactions occur.
• Educate, prepare, and reassure patients and their families by answering questions, providing physical assistance, and reinforcing physicians' advice regarding treatment reactions or post-treatment care.
• Maintain records, reports, or files as required, including such information as radiation dosages, equipment settings, or patients' reactions.
• Prepare or construct equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, or protection devices.
• Check for side effects, such as skin irritation, nausea, or hair loss to assess patients' reaction to treatment.
• Help physicians, radiation oncologists, or clinical physicists to prepare physical or technical aspects of radiation treatment plans, using information about patient condition and anatomy.
• Calculate actual treatment dosages delivered during each session.
• Photograph treated area of patient and process film.
• Act as liaison with physicist and supportive care personnel.
• Provide assistance to other healthcare personnel during dosimetry procedures and tumor localization.
• Schedule patients for treatment times.
• Train or supervise student or subordinate radiotherapy technologists.

The above responsibilities are specific to Radiation Therapists. More generally, Radiation Therapists are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Radiation Therapist salary?

What personality traits are common among Radiation Therapists?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Radiation Therapist are usually higher in their Social, Realistic, and Conventional interests.

Radiation Therapists typically have strong Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Also, Radiation Therapists typically have strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Lastly, Radiation Therapists typically have strong Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Radiation Therapist tend to value Relationships, Support, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Radiation Therapists very strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, Radiation Therapists very strongly value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Lastly, Radiation Therapists strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Radiation Therapists must consistently demonstrate qualities such as attention to detail, concern for others, and dependability.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Radiation Therapists, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Radiation Therapists need?

Radiation Therapists often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Radiation Therapists usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Radiation Therapists

• 0.2% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 0.8% completed high school or secondary school
• 8.3% completed some college coursework
• 34.7% earned a Associate's degree
• 45.0% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 7.7% earned a Master's degree
• 3.3% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Radiation Therapists

Important Abilities needed by Radiation Therapists

Radiation Therapists must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Radiation Therapists need abilities such as oral comprehension, oral expression, and problem sensitivity in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Radiation Therapists, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Radiation Therapists

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Radiation Therapists frequently use skills like reading comprehension, active listening, and critical thinking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Radiation Therapists, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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