Provide radiation therapy to patients as prescribed by a radiologist according to established practices and standards. Duties may include reviewing prescription and diagnosis; acting as liaison with physician and supportive care personnel; preparing equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, and protection devices; and maintaining records, reports, and files. May assist in dosimetry procedures and tumor localization.
U.S. Workers
18,700
Median Salary
$101,990
10-Year Growth
+1.9%
Annual Openings
900
Typical entry: Associate's degree
20 of 22 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Maintain records, reports, or files as required, including such information as radiation dosages, equipment settings, or patients' reactions.
AI: Fully automatable - Electronic records and AI can automatically log dosages, settings, and documented reactions with high reliability when integrated with treatment systems.
Calculate actual treatment dosages delivered during each session.
AI: Fully automatable - Software and AI algorithms can accurately compute delivered dose from treatment machine logs and in‑vivo dosimetry and be integrated to report actual session doses automatically.
Schedule patients for treatment times.
AI: Fully automatable - Scheduling is highly automatable and AI systems can fully manage patient appointment optimization and allocation given access to constraints and calendars.
Position patients for treatment with accuracy, according to prescription.
AI: Partial - Patient positioning can be aided by AI image‑guidance and robotic alignment systems, yet accurate, safe positioning for radiation still requires human oversight and intervention in most clinical settings as of 2025.
Administer prescribed doses of radiation to specific body parts, using radiation therapy equipment according to established practices and standards.
AI: Partial - Radiation delivery systems are highly automated for plan execution, but administering prescribed doses remains a regulated, safety‑critical task that requires human supervision, verification, and professional responsibility.
Follow principles of radiation protection for patient, self, and others.
AI: Partial - AI can provide protocols, monitor dosimeters, and warn about breaches but cannot physically implement or assume full accountability for radiation protection in-person.
Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification.
AI: Partial - AI can parse prescriptions, diagnoses, and charts and flag inconsistencies, but in-person patient identification and final clinical sign-off typically require a human.
Conduct most treatment sessions independently, in accordance with the long-term treatment plan and under the general direction of the patient's physician.
AI: Partial - Robotic and software assistance can handle many procedural steps, but safe, autonomous conduct of most treatment sessions including positioning and emergency judgment is not fully automatable by 2025.
Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage.
AI: Partial - AI can reliably enter data and propose or set equipment controls, yet safety-critical dose regulation and final verification generally require human oversight and interlocks.
Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation.
AI: Partial - AI can analyze QA data and schedule checks, but physical inspection, calibration with phantoms, and hands-on troubleshooting still need human technologists.
Observe and reassure patients during treatment and report unusual reactions to physician or turn equipment off if unexpected adverse reactions occur.
AI: Partial - AI can monitor vitals, detect anomalies, alert staff, or trigger safety stops, but cannot fully provide human reassurance or nuanced assessment of unexpected adverse reactions.
Educate, prepare, and reassure patients and their families by answering questions, providing physical assistance, and reinforcing physicians' advice regarding treatment reactions or post-treatment care.
AI: Partial - AI chatbots and educational tools can convey information and answer routine questions, but physical assistance and empathetic, individualized emotional support remain human tasks.
Check for side effects, such as skin irritation, nausea, or hair loss to assess patients' reaction to treatment.
AI: Partial - AI can screen for and triage common side effects via images and questionnaires, but comprehensive assessment often requires direct examination and clinical judgment.
Prepare or construct equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, or protection devices.
AI: Partial - Automation like CAD and 3D printing can produce some immobilization devices from scans, yet bespoke construction and fitting of many devices still need hands-on human work.
Help physicians, radiation oncologists, or clinical physicists to prepare physical or technical aspects of radiation treatment plans, using information about patient condition and anatomy.
AI: Partial - AI can generate and optimize plan components (e.g., segmentation, dose optimization) from patient data but cannot replace clinician oversight, judgment, and final approval of technical treatment plans.
Photograph treated area of patient and process film.
AI: Partial - AI can fully automate digital image processing of photographs or films but cannot perform the physical act of photographing patients or handling/processing physical film without robotic or human operators.
Act as liaison with physicist and supportive care personnel.
AI: Partial - AI can facilitate coordination by summarizing data, drafting communications, and suggesting actions, but acting as a liaison requires interpersonal judgment, clinical responsibility, and negotiation that remain human roles.
Implement appropriate follow-up care plans.
AI: Partial - AI can automate follow‑up reminders, monitoring, and triage suggestions, but implementing individualized follow‑up care plans typically requires clinician judgment and human-delivered interventions.
Provide assistance to other healthcare personnel during dosimetry procedures and tumor localization.
AI: Partial - AI can assist with imaging guidance, planning, and real‑time localization suggestions, but hands‑on assistance during procedures requires human technicians or specialized robotic systems and oversight.
Train or supervise student or subordinate radiotherapy technologists.
AI: Partial - AI can provide training content, simulations, and competency assessment, yet cannot fully substitute for human supervision, mentorship, and on‑the‑job evaluation of trainees.
Store, sterilize, or prepare the special applicators containing the radioactive substance implanted by the physician.
AI: Not automatable - Storing, sterilizing, and preparing radioactive applicators are sterile, hands‑on, and highly regulated tasks performed by licensed personnel and cannot be executed by AI alone.
Assist in the preparation of sealed radioactive materials, such as cobalt, radium, cesium, or isotopes, for use in radiation treatments.
AI: Not automatable - Preparation and handling of sealed radioactive sources require secure, physical manipulations, regulatory compliance, and licensed human operators, so AI cannot perform these tasks independently.