Therapeutic Radiographers use radiation to treat cancer and other medical conditions.
Therapeutic Radiographers work closely alongside a multidisciplinary team to support service users who are living with cancer and design and deliver treatment programmes to treat tumours.
Therapeutic radiographers play a vital role in the delivery of radiotherapy services and they are the only health professionals qualified to plan and deliver radiotherapy.
Therapeutic radiographers are responsible for the planning and delivery of accurate radiotherapy treatments using a wide range of technical equipment including X-Ray, CT Scanners and Linear Accelerators. The accuracy of any radiotherapy treatment is critical to treat the cancer tumour and destroy the diseased tissue while minimising the amount of exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.
Therapeutic radiographers are extensively involved at all stages of the patients’ radiotherapy journey.
Working life
Working as a Therapeutic Radiographer will mean that you’ll take part in a variety of different tasks during your working day. These can include:
- Working with members of the multidisciplinary team and wider healthcare team
- Operate a variety of imaging machines
- Providing health advice and raising awareness of cancer
- Assist in surgeries where required
- Clinical research
- Planning treatment programmes
- Working with service users
Therapeutic Radiographers work in a variety of settings including:
- Acute hospitals
- Private Practice
- Mobile imaging units
Therapeutic Radiographers usually work with service users on a one to one basis to ensure continuity of care throughout their cancer journey.
Requirements
Becoming a Therapeutic Radiographer requires an undergraduate or Masters degree in Radiotherapy which is the study of oncology and the care of cancer patients making graduates uniquely qualified to undertake this role.
The BSc (Hons) Radiotherapy is a three-year full-time course which is generally split 50:50 with academic and clinical placements.
Most universities require five GCSEs at grades 4/5 or above (including English, Maths and Science) and around 120 UCAS points from 3 A levels (this must include at least one natural science) or BTEC in a relevant course.
The pre-registration PgDip/ MSc Radiotherapy (pre-reg) is a two-year full-time course for students who already have a degree. Similar to the BSc, the course is generally 50:50 in terms of academic and clinical placements. Some universities offer the option to top up the PgDip to a full MSc by completing a research module.
This route usually requires a 2:1 or above in a relevant health, or science subject.
Each university sets its own entry requirements, so it’s important to check with them directly which qualifications they will accept. In most cases, the results of an interview and other selection processes are also considered as well as your academic qualifications.
It’s also a good idea to spend some time with a therapeutic radiography team to get some firsthand experience of what the role’s really like before you apply for any programme of study.
Working as a Therapeutic Radiographer will also provide further opportunities to develop your career through apprenticeships and internal training in the future.
Degree apprenticeship route
For those interested in becoming a Therapeutic Radiographer, there is a degree apprenticeship programme available for Therapeutic Radiography.
To access the degree apprenticeship route, you would need to either apply for an apprentice post at a healthcare employer willing to support the programme or work as a therapy assistant in Therapeutic Radiography first before accessing the programme as an internal candidate.
Personal characteristics
To work successfully as a Therapeutic Radiographer, you need to consider your own personal characteristics. You would need to have the following attributes or similar:
- Be accurate and methodical and have good attention to detail
- Be able to work as part of a team but also be able to use your own initiative
- Be willing to follow procedures and take instruction from senior team members
- Be able to work with all people from various backgrounds with different experiences
- Be interested in new technologies
- Be safety conscious
Skills required
To work successfully as a Diagnostic Radiographer, you need to consider the skills that you have. You would need to demonstrate the following:
- Be well organised and able to plan your time and the treatments of your service users
- Be able to communicate with a variety of people using different methods
- Be able to interpret data
- Be comfortable discussing treatment plans with service users where required
- Be empathetic and supportive of service users as you will have to offer emotional support
Training and development opportunities
Once qualified and registered as an Allied Health Professional Diagnostic Radiographer with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), you can continue to develop your career over time. You’ll have access to a yearly continuing professional development (CPD) check-in where you can discuss any additional training needs or qualifications you would like to achieve.
You will also be encouraged to join The Society of Radiographers who offer further development opportunities, email updates and networking opportunities so that you are able to continue to learn from others who work in the same role as you.
Once you have experience in Therapeutic Radiography, you can specialise in a number of different areas. You could work with a particular type of cancer, work with children, or with new and emerging technologies such as proton beam therapy. You could also use your skills to teach or complete further research.
Pay and benefits
Therapeutic Radiographers in the NHS usually work 37.5 hours per week and depending on the setting and the service users you are working with, you could be required to work evenings and weekends too.
Therapeutic Radiographers are paid using the Agenda for Change (AfC) system and will typically start their career on AfC band 5 but with experience, further training and additional qualifications, can progress further up the pay scale.Other benefits of working as a Therapeutic Radiographer include access to a pension scheme, health service discounts such as a Blue Light Card and 27 days of annual leave in addition to bank holidays.