Part 4: Roles in Radiation Oncology Department

Director/Chariman

oversees the entire department, overall leadership and strategic direction

Departmental Administration

Has two categories: Administrative Director and Department Manager

Administrative Director

handles the overarching admin. responsibilities; oversees clinical operations and personnel including: Radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, and oncology nurses

Department Manager

Manages day-to-day operations; manages administrative and support functions including: administrative assistants, patient coordinators, and receptionist

Radiation Oncologist

Develop prescriptions, Approve treatment plans, Monitors patient progress during treatment, Conducts follow up visits

Sees patients for: consultations, OTV (on treatment visit), simulation consent form, follow up

Radiation Physicist

Ensure safety of treatment plans and treatment units, check all calculations performed by the dosimetrists, work closely with complex cases to assure accuracy, QA units/sim

Sees patients for: Any special read out needed for a particular patient, treatments where a very high dose is delivered ie TBI or SRS, issues with the machine or patient’s set up they can be called to the machine

Radiobiologists

Reasearch and Development: research and understand how radiation affects living tissue at cellular and molecular levels AND study biological effects of ionizing radiation in cancer treatment

Optimizing Treatment protocols: Use expertise to develop and refine treatment protocols (right doses that can maximize cancel cell kill while minimize damage to healthy tissue)

Radiation Safety: ensure safety of radiation practices in a clinical setting; help design safe protocols and ensure compliance to ensure safety of both patient and healthcare workers by reducing exposure to unnecessary radiation

Clinical Trials: participate in clinical trials, helping to design studies to investigate new treatments or combinations of treatments involving radiation; analyze and interpret data related to biological responses to radiation treatments

Radiation Therapist

Prepares patient for treatment, sets up, take images, and administer radiation; explain what you are doing in step so as to make patient feel comfortable, monitors patient condition during treatment

Dosimetrist

Takes simulation information and directions from the physician (planning directive/prescription) and develops treatment plan; part of the physics group; calculates appropriate radiation doses

Sees patient: If therapists have issues with a treatment set up or treatment plan and will supervise or observe complex treatments

Oncology Nurses

Provides patient education and support, administers medication as needed, and assists with patient care during treatment

Administrative Assistant

Manages scheduling and patient records, provides administrative support to the department