A radiation therapist is a medical professional who is trained to administer beams of radiation to a targeted area of the human body. The beams of radiation are “treatments” to cure disease, such as cancer.
A radiation therapist works closely with both the patient and the doctor to make sure the treatment is done with minimal pain and discomfort. The radiation therapist first consults with the patient’s doctor, then interprets the treatment needed. On the day of treatment, the radiation therapist walks the patient through the process, then administers and records the treatment.
Administering treatment requires calculating the proper dose of radiation, positioning the radiation equipment over the tumor (or area of treatment), adjusting accessories or external devices to make sure only the effected area gets the dose of radiation, and operating the radiation equipment.
Most treatment sessions last only a few minutes, but overall treatments last several weeks therefore proper recordkeeping is vital to the success of the patient’s treatment. Record keeping not only includes the dosage and extent of radiation treatment, but how the patient reacts to treatment (including any new symptoms since the last treatment), how the cancerous cells react to treatment (did they shrink, increase, or show no change), and how the non-cancerous cells are affected by the current treatment (including how they were affected by past treatments).
To get the facts about radiation therapy, visit the National Cancer Institute. To learn more about how radiation therapy works, visit MedicineNet.com and Tirgan.com.
Come back on Monday as we finish up our discussion on Radiation Therapy.
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