General Job Description

The medical dosimetrist is a member of the radiation oncology team who has knowledge of the overall characteristics and clinical relevance of radiation oncology in the management of cancer or other disease processes, with special expertise in radiation therapy treatment planning.

Medical dosimetrists develop, optimize, and monitor patient treatment plans and provide oversight to high level treatment procedures. Accurate calculations are required for all treatment plan implementation including both external and brachytherapy. The medical dosimetrist must have
a) knowledge of the overall characteristics and clinical relevance in the management of cancer and other radio-responsive conditions, b) provide input for the use of ancillary treatment devices and patient immobilization techniques. The medical dosimetrist must accurately transfer and document treatment parameters either manually or electronically. Written and oral communication skills are required.

Educational requirements

It is expected that an individual will hold him/herself qualified to practice in medical dosimetry only when the knowledge and skills to perform dosimetry tasks have been established. An individual shall be considered eligible to practice if he/she is certified by the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board. The MDCB requires a Baccalaureate Degree to sit for their exam by the year 2017 and the AAMD fully supports that educational level for new candidates.

Major Duties

1. Design a treatment plan by means of computer and/or manual computation with optimal beam geometry to deliver a prescribed radiation dose and spare critical structures in accordance with the radiation oncologist's prescription.
2. Identify and contour normal and dose-limiting structures by utilizing images from one or more data sets. Assumes proficiency in image registration with various image data sets to include CT, MRI and PET.
3. Create and transfer reference images and localization markers for portal verification and treatment delivery to include DRRs, CBCTs and other IGRT methods, as specified.
4. Supervise, perform, or assist in simulations and tumor localization using specified imaging devices including, but not limited to CT, MRI, and PET.
5. Supervise, perform, or assist in the planning and implementation of the fabrication of compensation filters, custom shields, wedges, and other beam modifying devices.
6. Supervise, perform, or assist in the planning and implementation of the production of moulds, casts, and other immobilization devices.
7. Communicate with the radiation therapist(s) and assume an advisory role in the implementation of the treatment plan including: the correct use of immobilization devices, compensators, wedges, field arrangement, and other treatment or imaging parameters.
8. Perform calculations for the accurate delivery of the prescribed dose, document all pertinent information in the patient record, and verify the mathematical accuracy of all calculations by an approved method.
9. Provide assistance and technical support to the medical physicist, in radiation safety and protection, qualitative machine calibrations, quality assurance of treatment plans and radiation oncology equipment.
10. Operates and performs quality assurance, under the direction of the Medical Physicist, on the treatment planning computer(s).
11. Supervise, perform, or assist in the application of specific methods of patient and/or beam dosimetry as directed by the Medical Physicist.
12. Assist in brachytherapy procedures by performing treatment planning and dose calculations. May perform or assist in the receiving, loading, and shipping of radioactive materials.
13. Utilize radiation monitoring devices to measure radioactivity and perform assays.
14. Teach applied aspects of medical dosimetry to students, radiation therapists and residents.
15. Participate in clinical research.
16. Participate in continuing education.
17. Participate in quality improvement processes.

Skills

1. Knowledgeable in the areas of anatomy, physiology, clinical oncology, radiobiology, radiation physics, and radiation safety.
2. Expertise in the technical aspects of radiation oncology and medical physics to develop optimal treatment plans which include multi-modality (MR, PET) imaging for use in rigid and deformable registration, respiratory gating, and daily assessment of CBCT for dose tracking and possible treatment adaptation.
3. Knowledgeable in health care informatics-including the resources, devices and methods to acquire, store and retrieve data. Tools include computers and software such as Word, Excel, and Powerpoint as well as clinical guidelines, current medical terminology, information and communication systems.
4. Possess good communication and interpersonal skills to facilitate the exchange of information with patients, family members, the radiation oncology treatment team as well as outside entities.
5. Has high level critical thinking and problem-solving skills, to include the ability to make quick evaluation and decisions for on-line adaptive responsibilities.
6. Works independently, but in collaboration with the Radiation Oncologist and Medical Physicist.
7. Has working knowledge of radiation safety principles and practices as well as current rules and regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other regulatory agencies.
8. Has the ability to interpret criteria and develop treatment plans as defined by relevant treatment protocols.
9. Has mathematical skills including algebra, trigonometry, and introductory calculus.
10. Knowledgeable in conducting clinical research including collecting data, implementing a study, and writing papers for publication.
11. General understanding of scripting across various programing languages.

Revised April 2020