Top Skills for This Career
BLS identifies these as the three highest-rated skills for this detailed occupation. TrustInEd adds the plain-language explanations so visitors understand what each skill means.
Paying close attention to accuracy, quality, instructions, and small but important details.
Adjusting effectively when priorities, conditions, tools, or expectations change.
Working effectively with people by building relationships, understanding others, and responding appropriately.
How Do You Prepare for This Career?
BLS describes the typical preparation for this occupation. Requirements can vary by employer, state, licensing rules and individual circumstances.
How to Become One
How to Become a Radiation Therapist Radiation therapists must be licensed or certified in most states. Radiation therapists typically need an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in radiation therapy. Most states require radiation therapists to be licensed or certified, which often includes passing a national certification exam.
Education
Employers usually prefer to hire applicants who have an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in a healthcare and related field, such as radiation therapy, or in science technologies or biology. However, candidates may qualify for some positions by completing a certificate program. Radiation therapy programs include courses in radiation therapy procedures and the scientific theories behind them. These programs often include experience in a clinical setting and courses such as human anatomy and physiology, physics, and algebra.
Licenses, Certifications & Registrations
In most states, radiation therapists must be licensed or certified. Requirements vary by state but may include graduating from an accredited radiation therapy program and passing an exam or earning certification from a professional organization. To become certified, an applicant typically must earn an associate’s or higher degree from an approved radiation therapy program, adhere to ethical standards, and pass the certification exam. The exam covers topics such as radiation protection, treatment planning, and patient care and education. Many jobs also require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or basic life support (BLS) certification. Information on certifications is available from CareerOneStop.
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Pay
the median annual wage for all workers was $50,980.
Job Outlook
Job Outlook Employment of radiation therapists is projected to grow 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 700 openings for radiation therapists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. Employment Radiotherapy plays a central role in cancer treatment, as a substantial proportion of cancer patients require radiation at some point during their care. Because the incidence of cancer increases as people age, a rise in the number of older people is likely to increase demand for radiation therapists. However, growing adoption of more efficient radiotherapy techniques, which allow patients to finish their treatment in fewer visits, may limit employment demand. Radiation Therapists Percent change in employment, projected 2025–35 Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners 9% Radiation therapists 3% Total, all occupations 3% Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.
What They Do
What Radiation Therapists Do
Radiation therapists administer doses of radiation to patients who have cancer or other serious diseases.
Duties
Radiation therapists typically do the following:
- Explain treatment plans to the patient and answer questions about treatment
- Protect the patients and themselves from improper exposure to radiation
- Determine the location of tumors to ensure correct positioning of patients for administering each treatment
- Calibrate and operate the machine to treat the patient with radiation
- Monitor the patient to check for unusual reactions to the treatment
- Keep detailed records of treatment
Radiation therapists operate machines, such as linear accelerators, to deliver concentrated radiation therapy to the region of a patient’s tumor. Radiation treatment may shrink or eliminate cancers and tumors.
Radiation therapists are part of the oncology teams that treat patients with cancer. They often work with the following specialists:
- Medical dosimetrists calculate the correct dose of radiation for cancer treatment
- Medical physicists help in planning radiation treatments, develop better and safer radiation therapies, and check that radiation output is accurate
- Oncology nurses specialize in caring for patients with cancer
- Radiation oncologists are physicians who specialize in radiation therapy
Work Environment
Work Environment
Radiation therapists held about 17,400 jobs in 2025. The largest employers of radiation therapists were as follows:
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 60% |
| Offices of physicians | 28 |
| Outpatient care centers | 5 |
Radiation therapists stand for long periods and may need to lift or turn patients.
Injuries and illnesses
Because radiation therapists work with radiation and radioactive materials, they should be aware of the risks involved and must follow safety procedures. These procedures require therapists to be in a different room while administering radiation to a patient and to wear a film badge dosimeter to track their exposure.
Work Schedules
Most radiation therapists work full time. They have a regular work schedule because radiation therapy procedures are usually planned in advance.
Important Qualities
The following are examples of qualities that are important for these workers to perform their duties. For more information, visit the Employment Projections (EP) skills data page. Compassion. Radiation therapists work with patients who are suffering from cancer or another serious disease. They must display empathy while helping patients through the experience. Detail oriented. Radiation therapists must follow precise instructions and input exact measurements to make sure the patient is exposed to the correct amount of radiation. Interpersonal skills. Radiation therapists work closely with patients over multiple weeks and must be able to explain the treatment. Radiation therapists also must work well with other members of the oncology team to effectively coordinate care. Technical skills. Radiation therapists work with computers and large pieces of technological equipment, so they must be comfortable operating those devices. Advancement With additional education and certification, therapists may become medical dosimetrists. Dosimetrists are responsible for calculating the correct dose of radiation that is used in the treatment of cancer patients.
More Information
More Information, Including Links to O*NET
Learn more about radiation therapists by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
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Start with ED →Career data and occupational profile text are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections program. Education requirements are typical entry-level requirements and may vary by employer, state, occupation or individual circumstance. View the official BLS profile.