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any radiation therapists here?
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26-03-2010 11:14pm#1In 5th year at he moment and considering becoming a radiation therapist after school. Just wondering if anyone here could give me an insight into the job, if they enjoy it, if they would still become one if they could go back in time etc.
Any help would be really appreciated!0
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I was going to apply to do this course, after doing work experience I decided that it wasn't for me, but we're all different & it could be just the thing for you.
You should try to get some elective work experience in a Radiation Therapy department for a day at least. You'll see more than anyone can tell you about it. Only you will know if it will be interesting for you to study and work at as a career choice.0 -
My background is in medical physics but I worked as a dosimetrist (planning radiation treatments). About half the dosimetrists I worked with were physicists and half had a radiation therapy background. In my job as a dosimetrist I worked daily with radiation therapists.
General observations:
It is hard work, both physically, emotionally and in terms of needed to use your intelligence but very rewarding. There is a lot of responsibility and you will be expected to think quickly and be able to make decisions (and to know what decisions you shouldn't be making). You need to be logical organised person, good at maths and you will be using your knowledge of radiation physics and anatomy daily.
Patients you will see:
There is a lot of patient contact and while many will look 'well' some will be very ill and you should be able to cope with this. You may also see a good number of paediatric patients and a reasonable proportion of these may be palliative. On the other hand palliative radiation therapy can provide a lot of pain relief to those who are the end stages of their disease.
Specifics of the job:- operating the linacs, at least two therapists must be present, one to press the buttons and the other to check what the first is doing
- building customised immobilisation devices
- patient set-up and immobilisation
- verification of patient plans, set the patient up in treatment position, take reference x-rays and compare them to digital x-rays produced by the planning system. Here an excellent knowledge of radiographic anatomy is needed
- inputting of radiation plans and double checking Rx and dosimetrist's work
- checking of plans on the linac (using light fields to simulate radiation fields)
- counselling patients on treatment procedure (e.g. prostate patients have a to fill their bladder prior to treatment so that consisent bladder volume = consistent, repoducible prostate placement)
- taking CTs of patients on treatment an using anatomy to 'match' the CT with the one used for planning, if these are outside tolerance patient may need a new plan.
- liasing closly with doctors and dosimetrists regarding patient's treatment, e.g. I would often get called to look at scans where the patient's rectal volume is different from that at planning, thus displacing the prostate.
- there is an element on-call work in the evenings and weekends to deal with emergencies
I agree with Laydee that you should try and get some shadowing experience to see the job first hand. The person in charge of radation therapists in a department is the RTSM (radiation therapy services mananger). There are 11 hospitals in Ireland that have radiation therapy departments.
Public:
St Luke's (Rathgar, Dublin)
Galway University Hospital
Cork University Hospital
Belfast City Hospital.
Private:
St. Vincent's (Dublin)
UPMC: Beacon (Dublin); Whitfield (Waterford)
Blackrock Group: Hermitage (Dublin); Galway Clinic
Mater Private: Dublin; Limerick0 -
Hi Im also considering a career in Radiation Therapy.
Lonestargirl you mentioned there is a need for good maths skills. Are maths used on a daily basis by radiation therapists. Im in honours amths but my grades are mostly Bs sometimes Cs more so than the A.
Also some more questions for any RTs out there:- Are there many vacancies/openings for radiation therapists in Ireland?
- Are there many comparisons between radiography and radiation therapy?
- Is there an element of counselling involved?
- Where would I go about getting work experience? I have tried in loads of hospitals and to no avail. ?
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Lonestargirl you mentioned there is a need for good maths skills. Are maths used on a daily basis by radiation therapists. Im in honours amths but my grades are mostly Bs sometimes Cs more so than the A.
I got a B in hons maths myself and went on to do physics + maths at uni. Your level of maths will be fine, I would be warning off someone who was getting B/Cs in pass maths.
Like all allied healthcare positions getting your first position is always the most difficult as someone with any experience will generally get in before you. At the moment there is a recruitment freeze in the public sector but public radiation therapy services are set to expand in the next 1-5 years with the construction of new facilities in St. James and Beaumont hospitals and there is going to be a big demand for therapists. Therapists also seem to find jobs quite easily in OZ and NZ.- Are there many vacancies/openings for radiation therapists in Ireland?
There would be many similarities in the knowledge in terms of x-ray physics, anatomy etc. I would say there is more patient contact in radiation therapy and you would have a lot more autonomy (e.g. radiation therapists take and do anatomy matching on x-rays, they are only brought to the attention of a doctor if they are outside tolerence).- Are there many comparisons between radiography and radiation therapy?
- Is there an element of counselling involved?
Yes, patients will generally have between 10 and 40 daily treaments so you will meet the same people each day and you will often be the first person they approach with problems/quesions. You will be advising patients on diet and skin care during treatment also.
Did you try all the hospitals I listed in the post above? Make sure to address your request to the RTSM.- Where would I go about getting work experience? I have tried in loads of hospitals and to no avail. ?
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Hi Lonestargirl, I see you did Medical Physics. I'm thinking of doing a masters in that in NUI Galway. I already have a degree and masters in Mechanical Eng but fancy a change (being stuck all day at a desk drives me mad). I know radiography is one potential career with medical physics, but you also said you used to work as a dosimetrist. Can you please give me some info on what thats like? And is it easier to get a job in that than as a radiographer?0
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Hi Lonestargirl, I see you did Medical Physics. I'm thinking of doing a masters in that in NUI Galway. I already have a degree and masters in Mechanical Eng but fancy a change (being stuck all day at a desk drives me mad). I know radiography is one potential career with medical physics, but you also said you used to work as a dosimetrist. Can you please give me some info on what thats like? And is it easier to get a job in that than as a radiographer?
You won't be able to get a job as a radiographer with a med physics MSc, you would be working as a physicist in a radiograpy dept. There are three main job areas for graduates of medical physics, I've always worked in radiation therapy hence more detail in that section. In the MSc you cover all these areas as well as basic radiation physics, anatomy, physiology and biostatistics.
1. Clinical Engineering/Instrumentation- biofluids
- respiratory function
- audiology
- opthalmology
- medical applications of lasers
- electrophysiology
- electrical safety
- non-ionising radiation safety
- risk and safety management
2. Diagnostic Radiology- image formation - FT, MTF
- x-ray imaging
- ultrasound
- nuclear medicine
- MRI - magnetic resonance imaging
- PET - positron emission tomography
3. Therapeutic Radiology / Radiation Therapy
The treatment of cancer (+ some non malignent diseases) using- high energy x-rays
- high energy electrons
- protons (none in Ireland)
- radioactive sources - implanted in the patient (bracytherapy)
- nuclear medicine
- involved in selecting and specifying equipment to be purchased
- shielding calculations for treatment rooms
- initial commissioning of equipment
- ongoing QA of equipment (daily/weekly/monthly/annually)
- setting up of a treament planning system specific to your machines
- physics checks of plans produced by dosimetrists
- physics checks of manual treatment calculations
- some complex plans require you to deliver the plan to a 'phantom' to check its accuracy
As I said, I did the MSc in Galway and then I went on to work as a dosimetrist, my job included
- doing 3D plans for all kinds of treatment sites
- doing IMRT plans (a newer more precise way of doing radiation therapy)
- manually calculating treatments for emergency/palliative patients
- if a patient missed a treatment calculating how to make it up within the overall schedule (this is important from a radiation biology point of view
- there are many kinds of immobilisation devices and custom inserts used in radiation therapy - you have to liase with mould room to produce these.
- if a plan you did is not working out you may have to go and see the patient setup and look at the CT/films and advise a course of action.
I'm sure I've left out a lot of stuff but this is an overview. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions that you have.
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Thanks Lonestargirl for that, you've been a great help. I reckon with my engineering background I'd be best suited to Clinical Engineering. I know you list a lot of areas (which I'm unfamiliar with) under that heading, but do these areas involve calibrating and repairing hospital equipment? I wouldn't mind that. To be honest I'd be keen on anything technical as long as it won't have me stuck behind a desk all day long.0
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Thanks Lonestargirl for that, you've been a great help. I reckon with my engineering background I'd be best suited to Clinical Engineering. I know you list a lot of areas (which I'm unfamiliar with) under that heading, but do these areas involve calibrating and repairing hospital equipment? I wouldn't mind that. To be honest I'd be keen on anything technical as long as it won't have me stuck behind a desk all day long.
Yes, clinical engineering is a very hands-on type of job. You'll be familiar with all the different machines in the hospital and be responsible for quality assurance and calibrating as well as repairs. The fact that you are doing something practical makes the job rewarding for many people, i.e. because you repaired a dialysis machine a patient is going to get their treatment as scheduled.0 -
Thanks for this blog it was an enjoyable read, i am a graduate of physics with biomedical sciences from dcu and my fyp was in radiation therapy. My advice if you are interested in radiation therapy, is to consider looking at the new NPRO specialist centres being set up in Ireland now and over the next year, google the anagram and you should find contact info on the centres. I had the priveledge to visit one of these centres for a day and it inspired me. Consider that cutbacks are in effect in the healthcare sector when annoying anyone for a placement, be polite concise and considerate with what you are going to say and chances are you will be more successful, possibly email and then they may contact you at their leisure if a spot opens up.
I was wondering if professionals working in this field or any irish medical physicists would like for a simple website to be set up free of charge managed by the users. If there is any interest then please reply.0 -
The new centres are really nice, they are part of a 3 site St Luke's Radiation Oncology Network. This is a phased expansion and they continue to ramp up services while they are being slowly phased out in the St Luke's site in Rathgar. Staff continue to be transferred from St Luke's to these new centres as more linacs open. The next phase of the plan is a renewal of equipment in Galway and Cork and the addition of satellite centres in Limerick and Waterford. The final phase involves more building at the new centres in SJH and Beaumont before St Luke's closes for good. People are bery friendly and placements and tours for those interested in a career are usually facilitated.My advice if you are interested in radiation therapy, is to consider looking at the new NPRO specialist centres being set up in Ireland now and over the next year, google the anagram and you should find contact info on the centres. I had the priveledge to visit one of these centres for a day and it inspired me. Consider that cutbacks are in effect in the healthcare sector when annoying anyone for a placement, be polite concise and considerate with what you are going to say and chances are you will be more successful, possibly email and then they may contact you at their leisure if a spot opens up.
The IAPM is the 'local' website for medical physics. Many of us would turn to global newsgroups as well as applications support from the vendors for a lot of our technical questions.I was wondering if professionals working in this field or any irish medical physicists would like for a simple website to be set up free of charge managed by the users. If there is any interest then please reply.0 -
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lonestargirl wrote: »You won't be able to get a job as a radiographer with a med physics MSc, you would be working as a physicist in a radiograpy dept. There are three main job areas for graduates of medical physics, I've always worked in radiation therapy hence more detail in that section. In the MSc you cover all these areas as well as basic radiation physics, anatomy, physiology and biostatistics.
1. Clinical Engineering/Instrumentation- biofluids
- respiratory function
- audiology
- opthalmology
- medical applications of lasers
- electrophysiology
- electrical safety
- non-ionising radiation safety
- risk and safety management
2. Diagnostic Radiology- image formation - FT, MTF
- x-ray imaging
- ultrasound
- nuclear medicine
- MRI - magnetic resonance imaging
- PET - positron emission tomography
3. Therapeutic Radiology / Radiation Therapy
The treatment of cancer (+ some non malignent diseases) using- high energy x-rays
- high energy electrons
- protons (none in Ireland)
- radioactive sources - implanted in the patient (bracytherapy)
- nuclear medicine
- involved in selecting and specifying equipment to be purchased
- shielding calculations for treatment rooms
- initial commissioning of equipment
- ongoing QA of equipment (daily/weekly/monthly/annually)
- setting up of a treament planning system specific to your machines
- physics checks of plans produced by dosimetrists
- physics checks of manual treatment calculations
- some complex plans require you to deliver the plan to a 'phantom' to check its accuracy
As I said, I did the MSc in Galway and then I went on to work as a dosimetrist, my job included
- doing 3D plans for all kinds of treatment sites
- doing IMRT plans (a newer more precise way of doing radiation therapy)
- manually calculating treatments for emergency/palliative patients
- if a patient missed a treatment calculating how to make it up within the overall schedule (this is important from a radiation biology point of view
- there are many kinds of immobilisation devices and custom inserts used in radiation therapy - you have to liase with mould room to produce these.
- if a plan you did is not working out you may have to go and see the patient setup and look at the CT/films and advise a course of action.
I'm sure I've left out a lot of stuff but this is an overview. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions that you have.
Can I ask if you worked as a dosimetrist in ireland? I thought that the profession as a dosimetrist is not recognised in Ireland anymore? I am currently studying RT in trinity and i am a 1st year0
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