Radiation Therapist

A radiation therapist treats cancer by operating linear accelerators that target tumours with precisely shaped beams of radiation, day after day, over a course of treatment. They position each patient exactly, match the beam to the treatment plan the oncology team designed, watch for side effects that build over weeks, and keep careful records of every session.

Radiation therapists work in hospital cancer centres, on shifts, often getting to know the same patients over several weeks of treatment. The work is technically precise and emotionally heavy — most patients are frightened, and the stakes of each session are high — so it suits calm, meticulous people who can hold accuracy and compassion at once.