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Medical Dosimetrists

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeHigh pressure

What they do

Generate radiation treatment plans, develop radiation dose calculations, communicate and supervise the treatment plan implementation, and consult with members of radiation oncology team.

Kinds of work

  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $147,470 Median per year · $70.90/hr Most earn $111,670–$185,450

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Perform quality assurance system checks, such as calibrations, on treatment planning computers.
  • Create and transfer reference images and localization markers for treatment delivery, using image-guided radiation therapy.
  • Teach medical dosimetry, including its application, to students, radiation therapists, or residents.
  • Advise oncology team members on use of beam modifying or immobilization devices in radiation treatment plans.
  • Design the arrangement of radiation fields to reduce exposure to critical patient structures, such as organs, using computers, manuals, and guides.
  • Calculate the delivery of radiation treatment, such as the amount or extent of radiation per session, based on the prescribed course of radiation therapy.

Job outlook

United States
5% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • General medical and surgical hospitals49.4%
  • Offices of physicians26.7%
  • Specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals8.8%
  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools3.5%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Medical dosimetry usually isn't a job you start straight out of school. Most people earn a bachelor's degree, then spend about 1 to 2 years in a related clinical role, such as radiation therapy, before moving into dosimetry. You can see typical pay near you and nationally on this career's page.

  1. Bachelor's degree in physics, math, or a health science

    4 years

    A strong science or math degree builds the physics and dose-calculation knowledge that dosimetry depends on.

  2. Radiation Therapist

    1-2 years

    You work directly with patients on treatment machines and learn how plans are carried out, which gives you the hands-on understanding dosimetrists need.

  3. Medical Dosimetrist

    Ongoing

    You create radiation treatment plans, run dose calculations, and work with the radiation oncology team to review and supervise delivery.

Where it can lead

  1. Lead Medical Dosimetrist

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on more complex cases, train newer dosimetrists, and help check the quality of the department's plans.

  2. Medical Physicist

    Several years of dosimetry experience, usually with advanced physics training of experience first

    This move goes deeper into the physics of radiation and usually requires graduate-level training in medical physics.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take physics, advanced math, and biologyThese subjects build the foundation for understanding radiation, dose, and how the body responds to treatment.
  • Join a science or math clubClub projects help you practice teamwork, problem-solving, and presenting your results clearly.
  • Volunteer at a hospital or clinicVolunteering shows you the healthcare setting and helps you see how cancer care teams work together.
  • Enter a science fair or math competitionCompetitions give you a chance to do a real project and build a record of careful, data-driven work.
  • Get a starter job that builds reliabilityA part-time job, such as at a store or restaurant, teaches responsibility and attention to detail that matter in clinical work.

In college

  • Major in physics, medical physics, or a health scienceThese majors give you the physics and dose-related knowledge that medical dosimetry builds on.
  • Take anatomy, physiology, and calculusUnderstanding the human body and advanced math will help you read treatment plans and run dose calculations.
  • Seek a clinical internship or job shadowing in radiation oncologyHands-on time in a cancer center shows you the daily work and makes your applications to radiation therapy or dosimetry programs stronger.
  • Work as a patient care or imaging aideClinical support jobs give you experience with patients and healthcare teams, which is often expected before you move into dosimetry.
  • Join a pre-health or science student groupThese groups connect you with mentors and speakers, and they show future programs that you're committed to healthcare.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask to shadow a dosimetrist or radiation therapist at a local cancer center. Seeing how plans are built and checked will show you whether the work fits you.
  • Take the most math and physics you can, since dose calculations rely on both. Strong grades in those subjects will help when you apply to science programs later.
  • Get comfortable with computers and detailed, careful work. Planning software and accuracy checks are a big part of this job.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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