RADIATION THERAPY

A Message from the Director
Thank you for considering Carolinas College of Health Sciences as a place to begin your radiation therapy career. Being a radiation therapy student is both an academic challenge as well as an incredible honor. You will be invited to share some of the most intimate experiences of peoples' lives as you care for them as patients. These experiences will enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine. I invite you to be a part of a special place preparing you for a very special career in radiation therapy.

The radiation therapy faculty and staff are dedicated to helping you succeed. All of our faculty enjoy teaching and working with students. Please do not hesitate to go to your instructors as soon as possible when you realize that you could use some extra help. We are here for you.

Our commitment is to go beyond the technical education and develop a total professional by graduating caring, competent, and proficient Radiation Therapists.

I hope that your time at our college will be enjoyable and productive. Please feel free to drop by and introduce yourself to me. Getting to know students is one of the best things about my job.

Interesting Facts - Radiation Therapy:

$55,000 per year average starting salary

Program Overview
Radiation Therapy is the use of radiation to treat human diseases, especially cancer, and is often used in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. The Radiation Therapist is a vital member of the radiation oncology team. This high-tech, high-touch profession provides the opportunity to deliver quality patient care and comfort while working with technologically sophisticated equipment.

Working under the direction of Radiation Oncology physicians and in cooperation with physicists, dosimetrists, and nurses, the Radiation Therapist is responsible for patient positioning during simulation and treatment procedures, localizing the tumors, calculating doses, fabricating special filters and shields, administering the treatment, monitoring the patient's general physical and psychological condition, maintaining patient records, and ensuring radiation safety regulations are observed and enforced.

Radiation therapists must be accurate, detail-oriented, self-motivated, and must enjoy working with people. Working with cancer patients and their families requires the Radiation Therapist to be compassionate, a good listener, and a patient advocate. It is an extremely stimulating and rewarding profession.

The Radiation Therapy program is a full-time, semester credit hour, 12 month diploma program for students who are registered radiologic technologists. This means the applicant has graduated from a two to four year JRCERT-accredited program, has passed the national certification examination in radiologic technology, and holds a current, unencumbered ARRT certification. Applicants who are registry-eligible may be provisionally accepted if ARRT certified prior to program entry.

The program anticipates being accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT). Graduates of the Radiation Therapy program are prepared to function as entry-level Radiation Therapists and are eligible to challenge the national certification examination in Radiation Therapy administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT).