How to hire a radiation therapist

How to hire a radiation therapist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step radiation therapist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a radiation therapist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new radiation therapist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a radiation therapist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The radiation therapist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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   Hiring the perfect radiation therapist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents radiation therapist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Radiation Therapist	Description	Hourly rate
   Radiation Therapist	Radiation therapists treat cancer and other diseases in patients by administering radiation treatments.	$30-54
   X-Ray Technician	The job of X-ray technicians, or X-ray technologists, is to detect medical issues that may need urgent medical treatment using cutting-edge imaging methods. The pictures they generate aid physicians in diagnosing and treating injuries and illnesses with better accuracy... Show more	$15-38
   Mammography Technician	A mammography technician is primarily in charge of operating an imaging machine to detect and diagnose breast diseases. Their responsibilities include greeting patients, reviewing their identification and request documentation, explaining the extent of procedures, answering inquiries, operating machines, performing adjustments, and conducting the study in adherence to the protocols, making sure the patients feel comfortable every step of the way... Show more	$16-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Radiation Oncologist
   • Patient Treatment
   • Dosimetry
   • Treatment Planning
   • EMR
   • Immobilization Devices
   • Radiation Therapy Treatments
   • QA
   • Treatment Delivery
   • SBRT
   • Radiation Therapy Equipment
   • Linear Accelerators

   Check all skills

   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.

   More radiation therapist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your radiation therapist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A radiation therapist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, radiation therapists' average salary in iowa is 54% less than in mississippi.
   • Seniority. Entry-level radiation therapists 44% less than senior-level radiation therapists.
   • Certifications. A radiation therapist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a radiation therapist's salary.

   Average radiation therapist salary

   $84,981yearly

   $40.86 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level radiation therapist salary

   $63,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average radiation therapist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$123,960	$60
   2	North Dakota	$119,107	$57
   3	Pennsylvania	$107,071	$51
   4	New York	$103,351	$50
   5	Oregon	$98,084	$47
   6	Washington	$96,902	$47
   7	Maine	$93,104	$45
   8	Illinois	$89,807	$43
   9	Texas	$88,488	$43
   10	New Mexico	$86,097	$41
   11	Arkansas	$85,645	$41
   12	Maryland	$84,884	$41
   13	Colorado	$84,716	$41
   14	Florida	$83,568	$40
   15	North Carolina	$80,798	$39
   16	District of Columbia	$80,399	$39
   17	Alabama	$79,714	$38
   18	Connecticut	$79,266	$38
   19	Massachusetts	$77,796	$37
   20	Virginia	$74,390	$36

   Average radiation therapist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cedars-Sinai	$121,777	$58.55	54
   2	University of Maryland Medical System	$116,729	$56.12	48
   3	St. Joseph's Health	$113,179	$54.41	8
   4	GradyHealth	$113,083	$54.37	13
   5	Cleveland Clinic	$111,603	$53.66	127
   6	St. Joseph Healthcare	$109,495	$52.64	3
   7	Park Nicollet Medical Center Inc	$102,888	$49.47
   8	West Tennessee Healthcare	$99,533	$47.85
   9	One Brooklyn Health	$98,181	$47.20
   10	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	$98,013	$47.12
   11	Favorite Healthcare Staffing	$97,507	$46.88
   12	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$96,603	$46.44	1
   13	Ohio State University Medical Center	$95,182	$45.76	6
   14	Moffitt Cancer Center	$95,010	$45.68	15
   15	Lancaster General Health	$94,878	$45.61
   16	Sutter Health	$94,283	$45.33	111
   17	Presbyterian	$93,536	$44.97	2
   18	Baptist Health	$92,277	$44.36	35
   19	Trinitas Regional Medical Center	$91,534	$44.01
   20	Baptist Health Home Care	$91,230	$43.86	23

4. Writing a radiation therapist job description

   A job description for a radiation therapist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a radiation therapist job description:

   Radiation therapist job description example

   Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 24,000 employees, 4,000 physicians and 100 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies.
   
   Everything we do at Baptist Health, we do to the best of our ability. That includes supporting our team with extensive training programs, millions of dollars in tuition assistance, comprehensive benefits and more. Working within our award-winning culture means getting the respect and support you need to do your best work ever. Find out why we're all in for helping you be your best.
   Description:
   
   The Radiation Therapist 2 is a licensed professional, who under the general direction of the Chief Radiation Therapist, contributes to the organizational plan of the Radiation Oncology Unit, to the quality of patient care and supports the institutional philosophy. The Radiation Therapist 2 is technically competent, acts as a team leader to the Radiation Therapist 1, and interacts with all other areas of the department. The Radiation Therapist 2 applies ionizing radiation to the patients as instructed and prescribed by the physician in accordance with departmental standards, state guidelines, and Baptist Health System‘s policy and procedure. The Radiation Therapist 2 supports the Mission and Vision of the entity and department along with BHSF‘s Service Excellence philosophy. As designated, acts as a senior resource and is able to coordinate technical activities under emergency or unusual situations as requested.
   
   Estimated pay range for this position is $35 - $46 / hour depending on experience.
   
   Qualifications:
   
   Associate of Science in Radiation Therapy or Associate in Radiologic Science with Radiation Therapy Certification and after 1/2015 an Associate degree with Radiation Therapy Certification. Possess a basic understanding of Radiation Oncology technical and theoretical components. Certification must be awarded by an institution accredited by ARRT. Must have completed 1 full year at BHSF or 3 years clinical experience at an outside facility. Valid Florida CRT license required; BLS Certification required. Minimum Required Experience: 2 years
   
   EOE

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right radiation therapist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your radiation therapist job on Zippia to find and attract quality radiation therapist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit radiation therapists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new radiation therapist

   Once you've decided on a perfect radiation therapist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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