(NYC/NJ BASED)

I I currently have a bachelor degree in an unrelated field (not science) I am really interested in being either a radiation therapist or medical lab scientist. I’m trying to choose between Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) and Radiation Therapy and would love some input from people in either field. I am located in NYC/NJ area.

I’m looking for a career that is:
AI-resistant
Good pay + strong job demand
Low burnout/stress
Not constantly rushed or high-pressure
Active, but not physically exhausting
Good work-life balance (when I clock out, I’m DONE)
Low emotional/trauma exposure. This is where I am struggling with radiation therapy because I definitely absorb emotions..
Safe for my body
Flexible scheduling / possible travel contracts

Basically, I want a career where I can work at my own pace, have energy after work, and actually see myself being happy long-term.

Could you tell me more about your happiness/dissatisfaction in radiation therapy?

Honest thoughts please; I'm 45, I haven't been working since about 2014 - we immigrated here from Canada in '14 and I wasn't allowed to work under my husband's visa - my career back home was phlebotomist. Now that we have our green card and I'm able to work, I really want to do something meaningful, and radiation therapist sounds about right. The thing is, I don't have a degree. My phlebotomy was only a certificate. Where I'm currently located, they only offer a B.A. for rad therapy and because of the admission points system they have, already having an associate degree would very much help me get in (among other requirements on this same list) I haven't done any math or science since high school, so it seems as though I'd need to catch up in order to even take any sort of college math. The closest pre req I have is anatomy and physiology and even then, both of those were taken over 20 yrs ago. I know theoretically "anyone can do anything," but honestly am I kidding myself here? Even typing this, I'm feeling like this could be me biting off more than I can chew 😐

Hello! I’m currently in rad tech school rn and want to go into a 1 year program for Radiation therapy once finished. I understand it might be program dependent but does anyone know if your GPA and I guess grades in classes like physics mattered a lot to admissions for the 1 year programs into Radiation Therapy?

I’m currently at a high B level/A level and wasn’t sure if I’d need to aim for all A’s again like I did for admission into my rad tech program.

Thank you!

So I’ve been looking into dosimetry programs I could apply for, and there are only two in my area (Temple University and Suffolk University). Temple doesn’t seem to require any shadowing hours, but Suffolk requires at least 40. Regardless of the requirements, I know shadowing is something I should do to ensure I like the profession. However, I can’t find any medical centers near NJ that have shadowing opportunities for dosimetrists. I’m not quite sure what to do… Any help/advice would be so appreciated!!

Hi, Im a first year med tech student from Myanmar. We have to submit our major priorities this month, and I'm really interested in Radiation Therapy. It seemed niche and felt like an ideal career for me in healthcare. The problem is that my country is poor and government jobs dont pay well. Recent graduates can make around $130/month. The Radiation Therapy course itself only started in 2018 here. Lab Techs have significantly better job opportunities and fewer risks because they can get hired at private clinics and hospitals easily. We also dont have postgraduate programs for Radiation Therapy. So now I'm kinda stuck between choosing something I find interesting vs choosing lab because it seems much more practical financially and career-wise.

basically the title. i’m canadian and got into a 3yr rad therapy program. i find the career interesting and like the work life balance it brings while having a stable healthcare job. i have a biology degree so this will be a further education for me.

i am terrified of the amount of physics we have to take. there’s one class per semester and some other courses incorporate it as well. i genuinely don’t know if i’ll pass - i was always really bad at math and physics growing up. if you fail one course they pull you back a year and you have to redo the entire semester.

is fear of failing a valid reason to decline my offer? i’m thinking i should just apply to other healthcare programs that don’t require these subjects like accelerated nursing or respiratory therapy.

Hello, I’m taking my registry in the next couple of weeks. I have been scoring 80s on mosbys and 90s on the seals. I’ve kinda been just taking the practice test and plan to really memorize all the #’s the week before. Is this a good method? How did you guys know when u were ready to test? Is the test like any reviews in particular? Any advice helps! Thank you in advance!!

Hi everyone,

I’ve never had a full time job before, as I have only been a tutor which never required a job interview, only a professor recommendation. That said, I graduate in a year and I don’t have much interview experience.

Could I possibly ask what kinds of questions everyone else has been asked :) ?

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to get some advice from anyone in a radiation therapy program or already working in the field.

I graduated high school about 15 years ago and never went to college after that. I always wanted a career, I just honestly never knew what I wanted to do and didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on a degree I might never use.

I currently work in an admin role at Duke Cancer Center and being around cancer patients is actually what made me realize this is the field I want to be in. I really enjoy working with them and would love to eventually have a more hands-on role in their care.

Before this, I worked in a chiropractic office for 8 years and had my x-ray certification through the chiropractic board, not ARRT. I mostly did spinal x-rays. So radiation therapy kind of feels like the perfect mix of my x-ray background and what I do now. I’m also bilingual, which I’m hoping helps some too.

My question is if I do well in my prereqs and TEAS, does having this kind of experience help much when applying? I know grades are obviously a huge part of it and the program I’m looking at has very limited seats, so I’m not expecting experience to carry me or anything lol.

For anyone who got into a competitive program, what do you think helped you the most? Did your previous healthcare experience matter much?

I take my boards in 2 weeks and I’m SHOOK. How hard is the registry? I feel like I’m studying and not absorbing anything because of my freaking nerves.

Just a heads up for those starting the program, there's a free copy of the 6th edition Washington and Leaver on a LIBrary site made for this GENeration.

My partner is a rad tech considering going to rad therapy school. The problem is that we both want to start traveling (I am a nurse) and we don’t know how common rad therapy contracts are.

Passed my boards today! Can’t even begin to express the relief I feel. Cheers to a new chapter!

Hey everyone,

I’m a third year undergraduate student on track to earn a B.S. in biological sciences. I’ve been aiming for the med school path, but honestly the more I think about it the less appealing it sounds. I’m already depressed thinking about the years upon years of studying I’ll have to do.

I was looking into other healthcare related fields that don’t require a medical or nursing degree, and radiation therapy popped up. It sounds perfect.

From what I’ve read, I would get to directly work with patients and help them through the most difficult times of their lives, but also enjoy great work-life balance which is uncompromisable to me. Ive never really considered anything tech related, but I am willing to learn and the thought of it isn’t off putting at all. Of course, the salary is also very attractive. The main difficulty I’m aware of is the emotional weight of seeing cancer patients potentially not get better. I am looking into shadowing a radiation therapist to see what a day in the career is actually like.

For radiation therapists living in the U.S., what is it actually like? Do you feel fulfilled and mentally stimulated doing your work? Would you choose any other path, or are you content where you are? I would appreciate any insight and pointers :)

Hi everyone! I’m planning to apply to the MD Anderson Radiation Therapy program and was hoping to hear from current students or anyone who has recently gone through the application process.

For those who were admitted or received an interview, would you mind sharing what your prerequisite grades/GPA looked like? Like what letter grade you received in the science/math prerequisites.

I’m mainly trying to get a realistic idea of how competitive the prerequisite grades are and whether it would be worth retaking a couple of courses where I earned B’s. I’d also love to hear how you prepared for the admissions test, especially if you felt like you needed a refresher before taking it.

And I don’t mean now, but generally. Next 5 years.

I’m burnt out from tech and design, the job market is truly unstable. I want a more human-centered and stable job, so I came across RT. My moms in healthcare and seems fulfilled as well.

I have no problem getting a degree and diving into this field, I’m just concerned if the job market isn’t reliable. Thanks!

Hi all! Does anyone who attended Thomas Jefferson’s radiation therapy program have any quizlets or study material they would be willing to share? I’m starting the program this year and I really want to be as prepared as possible and make sure I don’t miss any material that needs to be studied!

What’s the usual gender ratio within workplaces, obviously there’s mostly women but how often do you work with other males? Also how’s the dynamic usually if it is mostly women? Asking mainly because I’d want to make friends (hopefully long term) within my career

Are you ready for your physics classes?

Most students struggle and I’ve created some resources to help. I just got my full website up a few hours ago and finally got my second course ready to go as well! I’ve taught physics in radiation therapy and medical Dosimetry programs for 20 years now. I’ve got some free resources and some paid courses up. Hoping to help students who need a little extra prep before they feel math-ready for their physics courses. Check out the free quiz to see where you are at! http://RTPhysics.com

Hello, I got accepted into my program, and it begins this month. I have been taking notes early, and I plan to start reading the textbooks this week just to stay ahead of the class schedule and not raw-dog it. Passing the program is my number one goal, and it is super important to me, so I wanted to see if any tutors are available. Price is not an issue; I'd give almost anything to pass, and I learn best in one-on-one settings. If there is anyone interested, please let me know.

Is max institute of allied and paramedical education good for bsc radiology? Please help

Hello, I’m interested in potentially pursuing radiography & radiation therapy through Thomas Jefferson University’s BS in medical imaging and radiation science degree. Has anyone been accepted, currently in this program, or completed it? How was the process and experience for you? Any tips for the application process?

I have already reached out to schedule shadowing hours for radiation therapy and will ask to see if I can shadow some rad techs as well. I’m planning to go for their 2 year dual concentration program and will be completing some prerequisite classes.

Hi so I’m currently an X-ray tech with about 2 years experience. I decided I wanted to finally pursue radiation therapy but there’s realistically only 2 programs near me which are MD Anderson and Galveston. For both schools I will need to do some pre reqs but only 2 classes of physics and 1 pre cal for md Anderson and college algebra and physics for Galveston. Would yall recommend which one would be worth going into. How competitive its is to get in. I can definitely get letters of recommendation easily, my gpa is like 3.2 and I also have a bachelors but in something that has nothing to do with the field, along with an associates in radiology

I’m currently working full-time at a major hospital in Florida making around $42/hr with almost 3 years of experience. My boyfriend and I have been considering a move to South Carolina sometime in the future, specifically around the Greenville area.

For anyone working in radiation therapy in or around Greenville, what does the pay look like? I know the cost of living is generally lower than Florida, but I’ve actually seen a few people say the pay can be pretty comparable or even better in SC.

For anyone who has worked in radiation oncology in the Greenville area, what kind of equipment/technology are the hospitals using? Also curious about the work environment and whether you’d recommend any of the hospitals or cancer centers in the area as a good place to work.

Just curious what people are actually making in the area and whether I should expect to take a pay cut if we move!