Radiation Therapist

Radiation may not sound all that therapeutic, but it can be the most effective way to treat certain cancers. As a Radiation Therapist, you operate the technologies needed to carry out these treatments and prepare patients for the procedures. As a Radiation Therapist you’ll be part of an oncology team that works together to get rid of dangerous tumors.

Before you can issue radiation therapy to a patient, you first need to take an x-ray or CT scan to determine the exact location of the tumor. Then, you’ll work with your team to come up with a treatment plan, figuring out how to position the patient’s body during the radiation. The Radiation Therapist will need to be gentle and reassuring during this process, as it isn’t exactly fun being a cancer patient.

The actual radiation treatment involves operating a machine called a linear accelerator, which projects high-energy x-ray beams at the target cells. Most patients will come in for repeated therapy sessions, so you’ll get to know them and—hopefully—see them make progress. You’ll monitor the patient’s reactions to the treatment and keep track of their overall exposure to radiation, to ensure that the process continues to be safe for them.

Working with cancer patients might be depressing at times, but zapping tumors is one satisfying way to contribute to their wellbeing. Since you’ll be working with so much radiation yourself, you’ll need to carefully follow safety procedures to prevent overexposure.