The Radiation Team: The Breakdown of Roles in a Radiation Clinic

By : Art Gib

A radiation oncologist is often thought of as the main role within a radiation clinic and for the most part this is true. They do help orchestrate the course of therapy, but without a full staff of professionals who know their specific role, it would be an impossible task for the oncologist alone.

The following will be a little run down on who is in the clinic helping radiation patients and what specifically they do. It will touch on points of what to expect as a patient and some background on training for radiation staff.

The Coach and Playmaker, the Radiation Oncologist

The radiation oncologist is the first point of contact for the patient when they seek or are referred to radio treatment. The radiation oncologist is the doctor that runs the show (trumped only by the patient) and plots the course for overall treatment. They've chosen to specialize in radiation treatment for their profession as opposed to a medical oncologist who normally uses chemotherapy as a preferred choice of cancer treatment.

They not only work with their immediate staff of clinicians to plot a course of therapy, but also refer to other doctors that the patient may be seeing such as their chemo doctor (chemo is often combined with radiation treatment), a surgical oncologist, other surgeons and internal medicine doctors and pharmacists to pool overall knowledge.

Training for the profession in the U.S. starts like any other doctor's course with 4 years of specialized training outside of college and 4 years of residency with internship. During residency they are drilled a great deal on general oncology and the physical aspect of ionizing radiation and its application.

The Radiation Therapist

The radiation therapist is probably the closest one to the radiation oncologist doctor when it comes to planning the application and doses of radiation therapy. The oncologist will give the instruction to the therapist regarding what needs to be done for the specific cancer type. Then much of the application procedure from there is up to the therapist as far as instructing staff on the parameters of the machines and operating software to apply the dosing. The therapist will often have a technician who will talk to the patient and position them when it comes time to go through with the treatment.

The Rest of the Staff

Although there are possibly dozens of those who help in a clinic or hospital, you'll also receive a good deal of personal contact and support from the radiation nurse. They are what most would contend as the most human part of the therapy. It will be up to them to provide you an insider's look at the experience. While the radiation oncologist and therapist will probably give you a laundry list of points that you will expect with your treatment, the nurse will give you an expectation on a more personal level. They can give you background on any side effects that can occur and also provide very professional advice on how well the radiation worked after the session.

Along with the nurse and other immediate clinicians, a patient will also be introduced to a dietician or physical therapist depending on the treatment type, treatment side effects, and severity of the cancer.