Train for a degree in radiation therapy.
According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, job requests for radiation therapists are expected to rise by 27 percent through the year 2018, much higher than many other professions. To attain a career in the industry requires specialized training. Schools across the country offer radiation therapy degrees, ranging from short-term certificate programs through multi-year bachelor's degrees and even further education, each providing real-world experience combined with classroom training on topics such as patient care, radiation protection and nuclear medicine.
Certificate Programs
Students interested in earning a certificate in Radiation Therapy will spend approximately two years (full-time) taking courses such as Clinical Anatomy, Principles of Radiography, Radiation Protection, Quality Assurance, Introduction to Radiation Therapy, Methods of Patient Care and Film Review. A typical year is divided into three semesters, with in-classroom training two days a week and three days of clinical teaching each spring and fall. The summer is spent entirely on clinical training; no classes or training is conducted in the winter, though students may set up internships and observations. One school offering the certificate program is the Sloan-Kettering School of Radiation Therapy, which provides students access to a library with 1,100 medical journals; students may also borrow laptops and take advantage of personal and academic counseling. Manhattan College offers a two and a half year certificate program in Radiation Therapy as well. The City of Hope's California certificate program is shorter (one year); after which, students take the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists exam.
Bachelor's Degrees
A bachelor's degree in Radiation Therapy is available through a traditional four-year program at universities and colleges across the country. Coursework includes Radiation Therapy, Radiation Physics, Radiation Detection and Protection, Diagnostic Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy and Patient Care. Depending on the school, students may perform internships (about nine months' time) at affiliates such as Mount Sinai Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital and Beth Israel Medical Center. Manhattan College, located in New York, offers the bachelor's degree program (plus the certificate program) and radiation-therapy related honor societies, clubs such as the Radiological Science Society, a library and computer centers. The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Allied Health also offers the four-year bachelor of radiation therapy program.
Master's Degrees
Radiation therapy students who wish to further their education may seek a higher degree by pursuing a Master of Science of Medical Dosimetry, the field of determining and distributing the correct dosage of medication for cancer patients. Depending on the institution, classes may include Radiation Therapy Dosimetry & Instrumentation, Fusion Imaging, Physics of Radiation Therapy, Correlative Imaging and a multidisciplinary capstone seminar, a thesis-style project. Graduates may then sit for the Medical Dosimetry Certification Board exam. The master's of medical dosimetry is available at schools including the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Allied Health. A bachelor's degree is required, as is holding of certification by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologist in Radiation Therapy.
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