 |
A medical dosimetrist measures and calculates the doses of radiation used to treat
cancer and other diseases in a process called radiation therapy. Once an
individual is diagnosed with cancer (or a similar disease) a treatment plan must
be developed. Treatment plans usually consist of one or all of the following:
surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments. During radiation therapy
treatments, a machine projects high beam radiation at tumors in an effort to either
kill the cancerous cells, control the spreading of the disease, and/or to alleviate
pain. The medical dosimetrist, working under the supervision of a medical
physicist, determines the radiation dosage that is used on each patient and how
often treatments need to be done. The dosimetrist will then relay this information
to the radiation therapists,
the individuals who actually administer the treatments. The goal of the medical
dosimetrist is to configure an amount of radiation that is effective enough to
destroy tumors while at the same time minimizing the amount of damage done to the surrounding healthy tissues.
Medical dosimetrists work in a variety of settings to include hospitals and cancer treatment centers.
To become a certified medical dosimetrist, one must pass an examination given
by the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board.
There are various educational routes one can take to be eligible to take this
examination. Many dosimetrists are radiation therapists
who, after extensive on the job training, become dosimetrists. Other individuals obtain bachelor
degrees with majors in the physical or biological sciences. After obtaining the
degree, the individual must then complete on the job training as well. For more
specific information on medical dosimetry as a career, including educational
requirements, please visit either the
Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board
website or the American Association of
Medical Dosimetrists website.
|
|
|
