Medical physicist vs radiation therapist

The differences between medical physicists and radiation therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a medical physicist, becoming a radiation therapist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical physicist has an average salary of $122,845, which is higher than the $84,981 average annual salary of a radiation therapist.

The top three skills for a medical physicist include patients, oncology and radiology. The most important skills for a radiation therapist are patients, patient care, and radiation oncologist.

Medical physicist vs radiation therapist overview

	Medical Physicist	Radiation Therapist
Yearly salary	$122,845	$84,981
Hourly rate	$59.06	$40.86
Growth rate	8%	6%
Number of jobs	46,513	39,384
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Associate Degree, 40%
Average age	48	42
Years of experience	6	2

What does a medical physicist do?

A Medical Physicist develops and tests new systems to help investigate patients' conditions. They work for hospitals, diagnostic or medical instrumentation manufactures, or universities.

What does a radiation therapist do?

A radiation therapist is a medical professional who works in hospitals or cancer treatment centers and treats cancer and other diseases in patients by giving radiation treatments. Radiation therapists are required to explain the treatment plans to patients as well as conduct x-ray tests on patients to determine the exact location of the area that requires treatment. They must examine radiation machines to ensure that they are safe and working properly. Radiation therapists must also follow safety procedures to protect patients and themselves from overexposure.

Medical physicist vs radiation therapist salary

Medical physicists and radiation therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Physicist	Radiation Therapist
Average salary	$122,845	$84,981
Salary range	Between $77,000 And $193,000	Between $63,000 And $113,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, NY	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Mississippi
Best paying company	Saint Luke's Health System	Cedars-Sinai
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between medical physicist and radiation therapist education

There are a few differences between a medical physicist and a radiation therapist in terms of educational background:

	Medical Physicist	Radiation Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Associate Degree, 40%
Most common major	Physics	Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology
Most common college	Harvard University	Duke University

Medical physicist vs radiation therapist demographics

Here are the differences between medical physicists' and radiation therapists' demographics:

	Medical Physicist	Radiation Therapist
Average age	48	42
Gender ratio	Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6%	Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 1.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 12.8% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 8.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.5% White, 69.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	24%	17%

Differences between medical physicist and radiation therapist duties and responsibilities

Medical physicist example responsibilities.

Manage patient charts in MOSAIQ record and verify system.
Involve in the quality control of radiation therapy, nuclear medicine and diagnostic radiology equipment.
Develop daily, monthly, and annual QA protocols for IGRT involving MRI according to AAPM
Implement policies, procedures, and QA for SBRT and VMAT.
Develop 3D, IMRT, and VMAT external beam treatment plans using Eclipse/Aria version 11.0.
Train with the latest technology in the battle against cancer using Teletherapy, CBCT, SRS, and Brachytherapy.

Radiation therapist example responsibilities.

Manage all payroll, accounts receivable and payable, and maintain complete records of equipment and staff.
Manage daily clinical staffing needs by appropriately deploying PRN therapist when need, which save company from employing an additional FTE.
Perform SBRT and SRS, and IMRT treatments under the supervision of the physician.
Set up patients on treatment machine, port films and IGRT to line up patients.
Ensure treatment plans are consistent with oncologist's prescriptions and verify EMR for daily treatment delivery.
Monitor patients records through EMR, maintain weekly and monthly reports for the company, maintain and order supplies.

Medical physicist vs radiation therapist skills

Common medical physicist skills

Patients, 16%
Oncology, 9%
Radiology, 7%
Dosimetry, 6%
Radiation Therapy, 6%
Radiation Safety, 6%

Common radiation therapist skills

Patients, 28%
Patient Care, 9%
Radiation Oncologist, 8%
Patient Treatment, 6%
Dosimetry, 4%
Treatment Planning, 4%

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Medical Physicist vs Radiation Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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