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Boston Career Explorer

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

Radiation Therapists

Provide radiation therapy to patients as prescribed by a radiation oncologist according to established practices and standards. Duties may include reviewing prescription and diagnosis; acting as liaison with physician and supportive care personnel; preparing equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, and protection devices; and maintaining records, reports, and files. May assist in dosimetry procedures and tumor localization.

Also called: Computed Tomography Simulation Therapist (CT Simulation Therapist), Dosimetrist, Radiation Therapist (RT), Radiation Therapy Technologist (RTT), Registered Radiation Therapist, Staff Radiation Therapist

Median pay in Greater Boston
$106,300
$51.10/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
260
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−0.3%
10 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Associate's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$83,160$84,110$106,300$125,890$131,250

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Position patients for treatment with accuracy, according to prescription.
  • Administer prescribed doses of radiation to specific body parts, using radiation therapy equipment according to established practices and standards.
  • Follow principles of radiation protection for patient, self, and others.
  • Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification.
  • Conduct most treatment sessions independently, in accordance with the long-term treatment plan and under the general direction of the patient's physician.
  • Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure37 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 41
  • Language-model AIOE 37
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 34

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for radiation therapists is moderate, and observed AI use is little or none so far. AI tools may help with reviewing charts and prescriptions and with record keeping. Positioning patients, running treatment equipment, and following radiation safety rules stay hands-on. Federal projections say newer treatments with fewer sessions let each therapist treat more patients, so job growth may be flat.

Likely to change

  • Reviewing charts and prescriptions
  • Record keeping and treatment reports

Still relies on people

  • Positioning patients accurately for treatment
  • Reassuring patients and following safety rules

What federal projections say

“Productivity change - share decreases as increased adoption of radiotherapy techniques that deliver higher doses of radiation over fewer fractions allows radiation therapists to treat a greater number of patients.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

7 programs near Boston

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