Radiation Therapy Programs in New York

How to Become a Radiation Therapy in New York - Radiation Therapy Programs in New York

Anytime a patient needs to have radiation therapy, they see a radiation therapist. For the most part, radiation therapists see cancer patients that need to have doses of radiation directed at specific parts of the body in order to attack their cancer cells. There are other patients who will see radiation therapists but about 90% of the patients a radiation therapist sees are cancer patients. The radiation therapist is sometimes a cancer patient's life line and hope that they will beat the dreadful disease called cancer. It can be a very stressful job because of the amount of cancer patients a radiation therapist sees on a daily basis, but it can also be rewarding when you hear that a patient you treated has gone into remission.

Many radiation therapists in New York work in the field with just an associate's degree in radiation therapy. It is easy to get this degree field confused with that of the x-ray tech, but they are not the same thing. So, if you want to be a radiation therapist, make sure that the degree program you apply to at a community college or technical school specifically says that it is for radiation therapy. After you graduate, you will need to be certified and licensed so you can get started on working in the field.

Because of the sensitive nature of most patients who will come your way as a radiation therapist, it takes a special type of personality to work in this field. You need to be sure that you can emotionally handle the stress that comes along with this job. You also need to make sure to be very empathetic with the cancer patients as they are coming to you with the hope that the radiation therapy you perform will prolong their life. You should be encouraging to them and be a positive person in their treatment while you are treating them. Sometimes, though, just having someone smile at them and laugh with them is enough to make their day better.

Radiation therapists make a lot of money because of all the work they do. On average, a radiation therapist in New York will make around $75,000 a year. Not only do radiation therapists administer the radiation doses to the patient, but they also have to clean and maintain the equipment and keep records of the patient and their treatment plan. It is very important to keep those patient records up-to-date and very detailed so their doctors will be aware of any problems or issues the patient has.