Radiographer to radiation therapist
A radiographer already meets 56% of what the radiation therapist role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.5/ 100
1 How much of what a radiation therapist is expected to do is already part of a radiographer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the radiation therapist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A radiation therapist role treats 31 of its required skills as things a radiographer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adhere to organisational code of ethics
- apply radiation protection procedures
- communicate in healthcare
- comply with legislation related to health care
- comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
- conduct cancer screening tests
What stands in the way is 22 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 33 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A radiation therapist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a radiographer background worth leading with.
- already held conduct video telemetry information skills
- already held medical contrast agents health and welfare
- already held medical oncology health and welfare
- already held prepare patients for imaging procedures assisting and caring
- already held provide psychological support to patients assisting and caring
- already held radiobiology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 33 carried skills, including the 31 the radiation therapist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 30 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn administer radiation treatment required
- still to learn perform radiation treatments required
- still to learn prepare examination room for radiation treatment required
- still to learn adhere to the ALARA principle required
- still to learn delineate organs at risk required
- still to learn formulate a treatment plan required
- still to learn perform image guidance in radiation therapy required
- still to learn perform pre-treatment imaging required
- still to learn perform virtual simulation required
- still to learn provide anti-cancer medical treatment required
- optional, not held perform on-treatment review optional
- optional, not held use photodynamic therapy for cancer optional
- optional, not held perform venous cannulation optional
- still to learn dosimetric planning required
- still to learn immunotherapy required
- still to learn influence of adjuvant treatment on radiotherapy required
- still to learn oncologic hormone therapy required
- still to learn side effects of radiotherapy treatment required
- still to learn radiotherapy required
- optional, not held electroencephalography optional
- still to learn advocate for healthcare users' needs required
- still to learn provide pre-treatment information required
- optional, not held teach medical science optional
- still to learn select immobilisation device for radiation therapy required
- optional, not held promote cancer preventive information optional
- still to learn determine medical images' diagnostic suitability required
- optional, not held administer contrast media optional
- still to learn perform transcranial magnetic stimulation required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a radiation therapist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 administer radiation treatment practise this
- 02 dosimetric planning study this
- 03 immunotherapy study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 33 skills that carry over
- already held adhere to organisational code of ethics skill
- already held apply radiation protection procedures skill
- already held communicate in healthcare skill
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- already held conduct cancer screening tests skill
- already held conduct radiotherapy computer planning skill
- already held conduct video telemetry skill
- already held contribute to continuity of health care skill
- already held deal with emergency care situations skill
- already held ensure compliance with radiation protection regulations skill
- already held first aid knowledge
- already held health care legislation knowledge
- already held health care occupation-specific ethics knowledge
- already held human anatomy knowledge
- already held human physiology knowledge
- already held hygiene in a health care setting knowledge
- already held interact with healthcare users skill
- already held interpret medical images skill
- already held manage healthcare users' data skill
- already held medical contrast agents knowledge
- already held medical oncology knowledge
- already held medical terminology knowledge
- already held pharmaceutical products knowledge
- already held post-process medical images skill
- already held prepare patients for imaging procedures skill
- already held provide psychological support to patients skill
- already held radiation physics in healthcare knowledge
- already held radiation protection knowledge
- already held radiobiology knowledge
- already held respond to changing situations in health care skill
- already held conduct health related research skill
- already held identify progression of disease skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn psychological treatment measures required
- optional, not held biomarkers optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held biomarkers optional
- optional, not held perform on-treatment review optional
- optional, not held promote cancer preventive information optional
- optional, not held use photodynamic therapy for cancer optional
- optional, not held administer contrast media optional
- optional, not held electroencephalography optional
- optional, not held perform venous cannulation optional
- optional, not held teach medical science optional
44 held skills the radiation therapist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Interpret diagnostic procedures for vascular surgery skill
- not needed by the target role administer radiotherapy skill
- not needed by the target role advise on healthcare users' informed consent skill
- not needed by the target role analyse X-ray imagery skill
- not needed by the target role apply context specific clinical competences skill
- not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply radiological health sciences skill
- not needed by the target role calculate exposure to radiation skill
- not needed by the target role determine imaging techniques to be performed skill
- not needed by the target role develop new imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role development trends in radiography knowledge
- not needed by the target role educate on the prevention of illness skill
- not needed by the target role empathise with the healthcare user skill
- not needed by the target role ensure safety of healthcare users skill
- not needed by the target role epidemiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role evidence-based radiography practice knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow clinical guidelines skill
- not needed by the target role healthcare data systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role implant brachytherapy treatments skill
- not needed by the target role inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
- not needed by the target role interact with healthcare suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role interpret requests for imaging examinations skill
- not needed by the target role listen actively skill
- not needed by the target role maintain imaging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage radiology information system skill
- not needed by the target role operate medical imaging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role orthopaedics knowledge
- not needed by the target role paediatrics knowledge
- not needed by the target role pathology knowledge
- not needed by the target role pedagogy knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform clinical research in radiography skill
- not needed by the target role perform lectures skill
- not needed by the target role pharmacology knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare lesson content skill
- not needed by the target role promote inclusion skill
- not needed by the target role provide health education skill
- not needed by the target role provide information skill
- not needed by the target role psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
- not needed by the target role use e-health and mobile health technologies skill
4 further entries not listed here
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn dosimetric planning required
- still to learn immunotherapy required
- still to learn influence of adjuvant treatment on radiotherapy required
- still to learn oncologic hormone therapy required
- still to learn side effects of radiotherapy treatment required
- still to learn radiotherapy required
- still to learn psychological treatment measures required
- optional, not held biomarkers optional
- optional, not held electroencephalography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a radiographer become a radiation therapist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A radiographer already covers 56% of what a radiation therapist is expected to do: 33 skills carry over, 31 of which the radiation therapist role treats as required.
What skills does a radiographer need to become a radiation therapist?
22 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is administer radiation treatment.
How hard is the move from radiographer to radiation therapist?
Its learning distance is 62.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.