Want To Become A Radiation Therapist?

Radiation therapists play a vital role in the treatment of cancer. Medical science is evolving all the time but the numbers of people dying from cancer are far too high. Huge amounts of money is invested in trying to find treatments and cures that work and it has to be said that radiation therapy is showing good results in the battle against cancer.

It is becoming more widely used which has lead to the increase in job opportunities for people skilled in this role. There are different types of radiation therapy and some are used on a stand alone basis while others are used in conjunction with surgery and perhaps chemotherapy.

How do you become Radiation Therapist?

It depends on your existing education and experience. If you already work in a medical field perhaps as an x-ray technician and have an associates or bachelor degree in radiography, you could take a 12 month certificate course in radiation therapy. If you are new to this field you could do either an associate or bachelor degree in radiation therapy.

You will have to pass the ARRT certification process and comply with the ARRT ethics code. Before you start studying make sure any course you take is accredited by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.

What types of radiation therapy jobs are there?

Radiation therapists work as part of the oncology team. You could be promoted to team manager where you are responsible for other therapists and the overall running of the department. Some areas of the country are experiencing a shortage of qualified therapists yet you obviously cannot leave patients waiting so the supervisory role can involve a lot of resource and time management.

You will work very closely with the whole oncology team but in particular with the radiation oncologist – an oncology doctor who has specialized in radiation treatment and a radiation physicist – he will calibrate the machine used which is called a linear accelerator. You will usually work in a hospital setting with machines that wouldn’t look out of place on a Star Wars movie set.

What does a normal day look like?

You may think that you would spend all your time with patients and you certainly will but that isn’t all you will be doing. You will be trained in other areas including:

• The production of molds for use on patients with tumors in the brain or neck. You cannot just radiate someone’s entire brain; you have to be extremely careful to treat just the tumor and not the delicate brain matter surrounding it. One way to do this is to make a mold of the patients head and face and to then use beam therapy to hit the exact spot that needs to be treated. The mold should protect the rest of the brain although there are obvious risks to this procedure. External beam treatment is an area of specialization for those radiographers with steady hands and nerves!
• CT/MR simulation – helps the radiotherapist to plan the course of radiation.
• Computer planning – the production of 3d images to help plan the treatment.
• Treatment review – radiation therapists will also keep a close eye on their patients during the course of radiation treatment. They will prescribe medication where necessary to counteract any side effects the patient may be experiencing and they will refer the patient to their colleagues for further evaluation, treatment etc.
• Radiation therapists keep very meticulous notes on every patient which are reviewed by both the radiation oncologist and the technicians who calculate the dose of radiation. These professionals must monitor the amount and impact of the radiation on the patient and will have to decide whether continuing treatment is having a sufficiently positive effect on the cancer to warrant continuing.

Are there any downsides to becoming a radiation therapist?

Apart from the physical aspect of the job i.e. you will be on your feet for most of your 40 hour working week, there can be a lot of emotional stress too. You will work as part of the oncology team so there will be some patients who are in what is known as the palliative stage. These patients are going to die from their disease and the radiation therapist’s role is to try to ensure that the treatment reduces the pain caused by their disease.

Radiation will be used where possible to increase the time these people have left to live without significantly reducing their quality of life. You may at times have to provide emotional support to people who know they are dying and this can be extremely stressful. But generally most people say that working in oncology can be very positive as patients and their families tend to be appreciative of the efforts of the staff.

On a more positive note, this field is very dynamic and you will be treating patients using cutting edge technology and treatment techniques. Some of the more radical treatments were unheard of five or ten years ago. Sometimes you can cure the person and handing someone back a chance to live longer is unbeatable.

What is the job outlook like?

The job outlook for this healthcare certification is very positive. Currently there is more demand than supply and salary levels tend to be higher than for other medical certifications that require a similar amount of study. Salaries will vary depending on location and experience but you can expect to earn between $75,000 and $100,000. Some radiation therapists will earn less while others will earn more plus their bosses will help meet the cost of continuing education.