What does a medical dosimetrist do?
A medical dosimetrist is a health professional who plans radiation treatment for oncology patients. They with other members of the oncology team to oversee treatment implementation, offer support with radiation equipment, design radiation treatment for oncology patients, perform calculations to determine effective dosing, and create a treatment plan that will be reviewed by a physician. They are also sometimes required to teach at universities and participate in research laboratories.
Medical dosimetrist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real medical dosimetrist resumes:
- Manage patient charts in MOSAIQ record and verify system.
- Gain experience in planning 3D-CRT, IMRT, and VMAT plans as well as SBRT and SRS plans.
- Conduct port management as necessary using IGRT, CBCT and electronic portal imaging.
- Generate computerized treatment plans for cancer patients, providing manual patient dose calculation and computer verification.
- Survey and complete paperwork on all brachytherapy cases.
- Help establish, and grow the SRS program.
- Participate in QI, QA and QC indicators.
- Assist with the opening of a new radiation oncology center.
- Set up and develop treatment planning systems for new radiation oncology clinics.
- Develop and fabricate a breathing restriction device to be used for SBRT.
- Develop proton planning guidelines and workflow for the delivery of proton therapy.
- Conduct patient specific IMRT & VMAT QA using I'mRT MatriXX from iba.
- Provide group occupational therapy treatments to TBI clients in adult day program.
- Experience in Brach therapy, LDR, HDR, and prostate seed implants.
- Review and update QA program for all linacs in compliance with AAPM [] protocol.
Medical dosimetrist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Medical Dosimetrists are proficient in Patients, Dosimetry, and Oncology. They’re also known for soft skills such as Technical skills, Communication skills, and Critical-thinking skills.
We break down the percentage of Medical Dosimetrists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 16%
Worked effectively with patients throughout process; explained hospital policies/exam procedures and conducted patient education training.
- Dosimetry, 10%
Created radiation treatment plans for various tumor locations on high-volume dosimetry team while maintaining high-level quality assurance guidelines.
- Oncology, 8%
Computerized Marketing for oncology services which resulted in increased revenue.
- Radiation Therapy, 7%
Assist therapy medical physicist in machine calibration and quality control of radiation therapy equipment.
- Eclipse, 5%
Achieve a high level of advanced planning on a daily basis with two different planning systems, Pinnacle and Eclipse.
- PET, 5%
Perform fusion with PET, CT as requested by physician.
Common skills that a medical dosimetrist uses to do their job include "patients," "dosimetry," and "oncology." You can find details on the most important medical dosimetrist responsibilities below.
Technical skills. One of the key soft skills for a medical dosimetrist to have is technical skills. You can see how this relates to what medical dosimetrists do because "radiation therapists work with computers and large pieces of technological equipment, so they must be comfortable operating those devices." Additionally, a medical dosimetrist resume shows how medical dosimetrists use technical skills: "provided technical and administrative support for brachytherapy procedures, source receipt, preparation, and disposal. "
Detail oriented. While "detail oriented" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to medical dosimetrist responsibilities. Much of what a medical dosimetrist does relies on this skill, seeing as "radiation therapists must follow precise instructions and input exact measurements to make sure the patient is exposed to the correct amount of radiation." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of medical dosimetrists: "oriented and instructed physicists on the use of the eclipse treatment planning system. "
The three companies that hire the most medical dosimetrists are:
- US Oncology Holdings Inc6 medical dosimetrists jobs
- Oregon Health & Science University4 medical dosimetrists jobs
- Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare3 medical dosimetrists jobs
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Compare different medical dosimetrists
Medical dosimetrist vs. Registered radiation therapist
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.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between medical dosimetrists and registered radiation therapist. For instance, medical dosimetrist responsibilities require skills such as "patients," "dosimetry," "oncology," and "eclipse." Whereas a registered radiation therapist is skilled in "patient care," "general supervision," "treatment equipment," and "ultrasound." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, registered radiation therapists reach similar levels of education than medical dosimetrists. Registered radiation therapists are 0.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Medical dosimetrist vs. Radiation therapy technician
A locum radiation therapist temporarily fulfills the duties of other therapists. They provide patients treatment services to the radiation oncology department whenever they are experiencing staff shortages and perform simulations and deliver all treatment efficiently. In oncology, a locum radiation therapist managed the day-to-day operation of radiation oncology services to ensure compliance with departmental operational goals and create a program to combine PET scan fusion with radiation oncology by forging a partnership with alliance imaging. Locum radiation therapists must have technical and interpersonal skills and be detailed oriented.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that medical dosimetrist responsibilities requires skills like "dosimetry," "oncology," "radiation therapy," and "pet." But a radiation therapy technician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "radiology," "patient treatment," "radiotherapy," and "qa."
In general, radiation therapy technicians achieve similar levels of education than medical dosimetrists. They're 2.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medical dosimetrist vs. Staff radiation therapist
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from medical dosimetrist resumes include skills like "dosimetry," "radiation therapy," "eclipse," and "pet," whereas a staff radiation therapist is more likely to list skills in "patient care," "patient treatment," "radiation therapy treatments," and "simulation procedures. "
When it comes to education, staff radiation therapists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to medical dosimetrists. In fact, they're 4.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Medical dosimetrist vs. Locum radiation therapist
Types of medical dosimetrist
Updated January 8, 2025
