What does a dosimetrist do?
A dosimetrist is a medical professional who assists patients undergoing radiation therapy. You are responsible for determining the proper radiation dosage being used in treating patients with cancer. Your duties include explaining the procedure to patients and responding to their questions and concerns, working closely with physicians to determine the amount and duration of radiation therapy, and assisting in the simulations and tumor localization using various imaging devices such as MRI, CT, and PET.
Dosimetrist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real dosimetrist resumes:
- Manage flow and daily operation of the treatment linac.
- Focuse on developing radiation therapy treatment plans for cancer patients.
- Train in Brainlab's iPlan; using it for SBRT with the VERO SBRT Linac.
- Single dose and full dose TBI calculation.
- Have planned HDR at other locations, no HDR at current offices.
- Use MOSAIQ to transfer treatment set up information between simulation and treatment computers.
- Collaborate with clinical and vendor staff to develop the MOSAIQ OIS/EMR proton therapy specific user interface.
- Observe and participate with brachytherapy LDR and HDR planning, simulation procedures, treatments, and quality assurance.
- Assist with positioning patients and fabricating immobilization devices in the simulation room.
- Provide technical and administrative support for brachytherapy procedures, source receipt, preparation, and disposal.
- Create radiation treatment plans for various tumor locations on high-volume dosimetry team while maintaining high-level quality assurance guidelines.
- Set up patients on treatment machine, port films and IGRT to line up patients.
Dosimetrist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Dosimetrists are proficient in Patients, Radiation Therapy, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Technical skills, Detail oriented, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Dosimetrists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 24%
Focused on developing radiation therapy treatment plans for cancer patients.
- Radiation Therapy, 10%
Reviewed medical record to determine is patient received prior radiation therapy.
- Patient Care, 9%
Demonstrate age-specific patient care considerations for the population served.
- PET, 6%
Perform fusion of various image data sets including CT, MRI, PET.
- IMRT, 4%
Initiate and implement new technologies such as IMRT, Forward planning, tapered bolus cap for Scalp electron treatments.
- Patient Treatment, 4%
Perform weekly patient treatment reviews and associated Quality Assurance/Quality Control measurements.
Common skills that a dosimetrist uses to do their job include "patients," "radiation therapy," and "patient care." You can find details on the most important dosimetrist responsibilities below.
Technical skills. The most essential soft skill for a dosimetrist to carry out their responsibilities is technical skills. This skill is important for the role because "radiation therapists work with computers and large pieces of technological equipment, so they must be comfortable operating those devices." Additionally, a dosimetrist resume shows how their duties depend on technical skills: "performed radiation therapy planning procedures and provide technical review of simulation and dose calculation. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling dosimetrist duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "radiation therapists must follow precise instructions and input exact measurements to make sure the patient is exposed to the correct amount of radiation." According to a dosimetrist resume, here's how dosimetrists can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "carried out weekly chart checks with attention to detail and patient workflow. "
Interpersonal skills. dosimetrists are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to dosimetrist responsibilities, because "radiation therapists work closely with patients over multiple weeks and must be able to explain the treatment." A dosimetrist resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "possess excellent interpersonal skills that allow for the building of strong trusting relationships with patients, families and team members. "
The three companies that hire the most dosimetrists are:
- Varian Medical Systems17 dosimetrists jobs
- PIH Health8 dosimetrists jobs
- HealthTrust6 dosimetrists jobs
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Compare different dosimetrists
Dosimetrist vs. Radiation therapy technician
Radar engineers are responsible for improving radar efficiency and fixing numerous technical bugs that can pop up. They will design radar equipment using advanced modeling and testing. Adhering to safety and compliance standards is also necessary. This career will require various mechanical, writing, and speaking skills for optimal success in developing mathematical algorithms.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, dosimetrist responsibilities require skills like "radiation therapy," "pet," "radiation dose," and "radiation safety." Meanwhile a typical radiation therapy technician has skills in areas such as "radiology," "treatment machines," "radiotherapy," and "epic." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Radiation therapy technicians tend to reach similar levels of education than dosimetrists. In fact, radiation therapy technicians are 3.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Dosimetrist vs. Registered radiation therapist
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, dosimetrist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "patients," "pet," "radiation dose," and "imrt." Meanwhile, a registered radiation therapist has duties that require skills in areas such as "general supervision," "treatment equipment," "ultrasound," and "patient education." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Registered radiation therapists tend to reach similar levels of education than dosimetrists. In fact, they're 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dosimetrist vs. Student radiation therapist
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, dosimetrists are more likely to have skills like "pet," "radiation dose," "patient treatment," and "eclipse." But a student radiation therapist is more likely to have skills like "intake interviews," "family therapy," "linear accelerators," and "direct supervision."
When it comes to education, student radiation therapists tend to earn higher degree levels compared to dosimetrists. In fact, they're 6.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Dosimetrist vs. Staff radiation therapist
Even though a few skill sets overlap between dosimetrists and staff radiation therapists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a dosimetrist might have more use for skills like "radiation therapy," "pet," "radiation dose," and "eclipse." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of staff radiation therapists require skills like "radiation therapy treatments," "oncology," "simulation procedures," and "arrt. "
The average resume of staff radiation therapists showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to dosimetrists. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 5.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.7%.Types of dosimetrist
Updated January 8, 2025
