Radiation Therapists
Provide radiation therapy to patients as prescribed by a radiation oncologist 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.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-1124.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$105,310
Employment, U.S.17,070
Median hourly wage$50.63
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $80,560 | $92,060 | $105,310 | $126,340 | $156,710 |
By state (46)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 120 | $87,330 | 0.53 |
| Arizona | 410 | $108,760 | 1.16 |
| Arkansas | 80 | $78,950 | 0.56 |
| California | 1,720 | $166,450 | 0.86 |
| Colorado | 320 | $108,020 | 1.02 |
| Connecticut | 110 | $116,170 | 0.61 |
| District of Columbia | 70 | $100,250 | 0.96 |
| Florida | 1,280 | $100,920 | 1.17 |
| Georgia | 470 | $94,460 | 0.88 |
| Hawaii | $125,520 | ||
| Idaho | 100 | $99,660 | 1.05 |
| Illinois | $124,600 | ||
| Indiana | 360 | $96,690 | 1.04 |
| Iowa | 120 | $81,610 | 0.71 |
| Kansas | 240 | $108,830 | 1.54 |
| Kentucky | 170 | $97,760 | 0.78 |
| Louisiana | 230 | $94,710 | 1.06 |
| Maine | 140 | $101,980 | 1.96 |
| Maryland | 250 | $107,120 | 0.81 |
| Massachusetts | 330 | $106,300 | 0.83 |
| Michigan | 450 | $95,890 | 0.94 |
| Minnesota | 210 | $98,000 | 0.66 |
| Mississippi | 70 | $88,100 | 0.53 |
| Missouri | 420 | $99,890 | 1.31 |
| Montana | 50 | $105,400 | 0.97 |
| Nebraska | 120 | $98,670 | 1.07 |
| Nevada | 110 | $92,990 | 0.67 |
| New Hampshire | 60 | $106,270 | 0.74 |
| New Jersey | 600 | $129,460 | 1.28 |
| New Mexico | 100 | $100,010 | 1.06 |
| New York | 820 | $129,620 | 0.77 |
| North Carolina | 710 | $99,250 | 1.31 |
| Ohio | 690 | $98,650 | 1.13 |
| Oklahoma | 120 | $98,390 | 0.64 |
| Oregon | 160 | $131,600 | 0.75 |
| Pennsylvania | 560 | $100,540 | 0.84 |
| South Carolina | 200 | $100,790 | 0.77 |
| South Dakota | $97,470 | ||
| Tennessee | 350 | $83,520 | 0.98 |
| Texas | 1,000 | $105,770 | 0.65 |
| Utah | 70 | $107,660 | 0.39 |
| Vermont | 50 | $101,060 | 1.51 |
| Virginia | 500 | $103,310 | 1.10 |
| Washington | 540 | $125,880 | 1.37 |
| West Virginia | 120 | $71,590 | 1.61 |
| Wisconsin | 550 | $93,600 | 1.70 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | 3 | 0.973 |
| 2 | Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | 3 | 0.971 |
| 3 | Nuclear Medicine Technologists | 3 | 0.970 |
| 4 | Neurodiagnostic Technologists | 3 | 0.964 |
| 5 | Nurse Anesthetists | 5 | 0.963 |
| 6 | Critical Care Nurses | 4 | 0.962 |
| 7 | Surgical Technologists | 3 | 0.959 |
| 8 | Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 3 | 0.958 |
| 9 | Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | 3 | 0.956 |
| 10 | Physical Therapist Assistants | 3 | 0.955 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Radiation Therapists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surgical Technologists | Management of Material Resources | 1.00 | 0.959 |
| Respiratory Therapists | Active Learning | 0.88 | 0.952 |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | Coordination | 0.88 | 0.943 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Radiation Therapists, excluding software Radiation Therapists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| MEDITECH software | 14 of 20 | 8.4x |
| Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR | 4 of 20 | 10.3x |
| GE Healthcare Centricity EMR | 4 of 20 | 8.4x |
| Laboratory information system LIS | 3 of 20 | 15.4x |
| Practice management software PMS | 3 of 20 | 8.7x |
| Database software | 8 of 20 | 2.2x |
| Medical procedure coding software | 4 of 20 | 4.1x |
| Email software | 10 of 20 | 1.7x |
| FileMaker Pro | 5 of 20 | 2.4x |
| Scheduling software | 4 of 20 | 2.6x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.75 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.38 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.38 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.38 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.00 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.56 | 5.30 |
| English Language | 4.04 | 3.99 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 3.95 | 4.10 |
| Physics | 3.77 | 3.86 |
| Mathematics | 3.62 | 3.84 |
| Education and Training | 3.52 | 4.13 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.51 | 4.17 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 3.36 | 3.89 |
| Psychology | 3.35 | 4.38 |
| Biology | 3.34 | 3.63 |
| Administrative | 3.08 | 3.22 |
| Administration and Management | 2.84 | 2.51 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.60 | 2.39 |
| Mechanical | 2.48 | 2.54 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.36 | 2.40 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.32 | 2.18 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.30 | 2.32 |
| Chemistry | 2.26 | 2.46 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.14 | 2.63 |
| Telecommunications | 2.13 | 1.26 |
| Law and Government | 2.12 | 1.82 |
| Communications and Media | 1.99 | 1.70 |
| Foreign Language | 1.82 | 1.47 |
| Transportation | 1.79 | 1.40 |
| Design | 1.61 | 1.02 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.61 | 0.83 |
| Production and Processing | 1.53 | 0.98 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.38 | 0.65 |
| Geography | 1.25 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.22 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.10 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.09 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.62 | 3.88 |
| Written Expression | 3.62 | 3.38 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Near Vision | 3.38 | 3.75 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Control Precision | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Far Vision | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Selective Attention | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Visualization | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Reaction Time | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Time Sharing | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Number Facility | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Depth Perception | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Static Strength | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Rate Control | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Memorization | 2.50 | 2.88 |
| Response Orientation | 2.38 | 2.88 |
| Originality | 2.25 | 2.62 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Stamina | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Sound Localization | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Night Vision | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Eclipse IDE hot
- Epic Systems hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- eClinicalWorks EHR software hot
- Beam analysis software
- Dose unit calculation software
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- Image processing software
- Lifeline Software RadCalc
- Nucletron planning systems
- Patient management software
- Procedure scheduling software
- Radiation dose calculation software
- Radiation therapy equipment software
- Sun Nuclear MapCHECK
- Treatment planning software
- Virtual simulation software
- Web browser software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 360 | 2.42 | $99,250 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 170 | 2.08 | $96,180 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 220 | 1.87 | $117,280 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 140 | 1.57 | $103,180 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 110 | 1.36 | $103,140 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 350 | 1.34 | $108,770 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 200 | 1.34 | $105,310 |
| Columbus, OH | 160 | 1.29 | $100,720 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 390 | 1.23 | $119,960 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 150 | 1.20 | $102,520 |