MEDICAL DOSIMETRIST

About the role

Works as a member of the radiation oncology treatment planning team under the direction of Medical Physics to support clinical and operational oversight of the dosimetry service. Designs or guides radiotherapy treatment planning as needed with optimum arrangement of radiation fields and exposures, and conveys details to Radiation Therapists in order to treat patients according to Physicians’ prescriptions. The role includes leadership in providing guidance and direction to other dosimetrists, workflow optimization, quality assurance co-ordination and collaborations with physicians and other members of the radiation oncology care team. The Senior Dosimetrist serves as a technical expert, educator and operational leader, driving continuous improvement in patient care, technology adoption and compliance with regulatory standards.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Medical Physics to oversee dosimetry clinical operations.
• Provide leadership, mentorship and guidance to the dosimetry staff in accordance with departmental standards and procedures.
• Monitor treatment planning tasks and workflows to ensure timely completion and on-schedule patient treatment starts.
• Participate in departmental quality improvement initiatives.
• Design treatment plans by means of computer or manual computation to deliver prescribed radiation dose and field placement in accordance with prescription.
• Consider dose-limiting structures in plan design and documents dose in accordance with prescription.
• Affords assistance in treatment simulations and tumor localization on dedicated devices.
• Performs or assists in planning fabrication of compensation filters, custom shields, wedges, and other beam modifying devices.
• Performs or assists in planning the production of molds, casts, and other immobilization devices.
• Coordinates with therapist staff implementing treatment plans including correct use of immobilization devices, compensators, wedges, field arrangement, and other treatment variables.
• Performs calculations for accurate delivery of the prescribed dose, documents pertinent information in the record, and verifies accuracy of all calculations as directed by the Medical Physicist.
• Provides support to the Medical Physicist in radiation protection, qualitative machine calibrations, and quality assurance.
• Performs or assists in the application of specific methods of dosimetry including ion chamber, TLD, or film measurement as directed by the Medical Physicist.
• Affords support in brachytherapy procedures and in the subsequent manual and/or computer calculation of dose distributions of these treatments.
• Teaches applied aspects of medical dosimetry to students and residents.
• Participates in appropriate continuing education.

Minimum Qualifications

• Knowledge of Technical aspects of radiation oncology and medical physics sufficient to derive computerized treatment plans, and communicate with Radiation Oncologist for plan approval, and to the Radiation Therapist for plan implementation.
• Working knowledge of radiation safety and current regulations.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team to provide accurate radiation therapy services.
• Bachelor’s degree with a major in the physical or biological sciences, medical dosimetry or radiation therapy.
• Certification in Medical Dosimetry (CMD) from the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board (MDCB).
• Graduate of a Medical Dosimetry JRCERT accredited program.
• Minimum of 3 years recent experience as a Dosimetrist in a Clinical Radiation Therapy Department, or equivalent applicable work experience is required.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage time and prioritize workflow.
• Knowledge of Electronic Medical Records and TPS, such as Aria and Eclipse is preferred.

Physical Requirements & Environment

• Requires working with computer equipment, various physics devices, sitting, standing and moving about.
• Patient care environment with risk of exposure to radiation.
• Complies with precautions, as defined by Infection Control staff, in patients/material requiring isolation.

Pay Range

$135,000.00 USD - $175,000.00 USD