| Degree Required | Graduate certificate or master's degree |
| Education Field | Medical dosimetry |
| Key Responsibilities | Produce radiation therapy plans based on oncologist's prescriptions; generate calculations and computer simulations to ensure effective and safe delivery; assist radiation therapists with treatment implementation; clinical research and teaching (optional) |
| Optional Licensure | Certification from the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board (MDCB) |
| Job Growth (2020-2030) | 9%* (for all radiation therapists) |
| Median Salary (2020) | $86,850 (for allradiation therapists)*, $123,732 (radiation therapy dosimetrist) (2021)** |
*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, **Salary.com
How to Become a Medical Dosimetrist in 5 Steps
Step 1: Earn a High School Diploma
Aspiring medical dosimetrists will first need to get a high school diploma or GED to be able to enroll in a higher education program. If offered by your school, it would a great idea to take a vocational course in nursing to get some foundational knowledge of patient care. Math, biology and physics courses will prove to be very useful as well.
Step 2: Get a Bachelor's Degree
Budding medical dosimetrists will next need to earn a bachelor's degree. Colleges do not offer a specific dosimetry degree but completing a degree program in one of the sciences is an ideal foundation for a dosimetry career. For example, a physics degree will cover material on electro-magnetism, radioactive decay and fundamental particles. Alternatively, biology programs will educate students on human anatomy, cell structure and physiology, and molecular biology.
Step 3: Complete a Medical Dosimetry Certificate Program
Once an appropriate bachelor's degree has been obtained, the completion of a medical dosimetry training program represents the next step on the dosimetry career pathway. The training program should be accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology.
The training program courses should address the following subjects:
- Radiation and cancer biology
- Clinical radiation oncology
- Brachytherapy dosimetry
- Human anatomy
There should also be supervised clinical practicums to enable candidates to get hands-on experience with patients in a real radiology oncology department.
Step 4: Obtain Certification
All candidates must graduate from a formal dosimetry program to be able to take board exams given by the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board. Many employers now require candidates to be certified. The Board exam consists of 155 multiple-choice questions which candidates have 3 hours and 50 minutes to answer. Results are made available approximately 6 weeks after taking the exam.
Step 5: Get a Job
While the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not publish specific salary data for medical dosimetrists, it does state that the median salary for radiation therapists (which is a related field) as of May 2020 was $86,850. In December 2021, the site salary.com published some further information regarding a medical dosimetrist salary. They suggested radiation therapy dosimetrists earned an average salary of $123,732.
The BLS projects that job growth amongst radiation therapists between 2020 and 2030 will be 9%. This growth will likely be fueled by an aging population and the increased sophistication of cancer detection methods and technology.
