Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code ICR
Medical Dosimetrists
Generate radiation treatment plans, develop radiation dose calculations, communicate and supervise the treatment plan implementation, and consult with members of radiation oncology team.
Also called: CMD (Certified Medical Dosimetrist), Dosimetrist, Medical Dosimetrist, Medical Physicist, Radiation Oncology Medical Physicist.
O*NET 29-2036.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $147,470
- Middle half earn $132,080 to $167,030. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree
- 40% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 4 of 5
- Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +3% · As fast as average
- 4,800 jobs in 2024, projected 4,900. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Medical dosimetrists".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Design the arrangement of radiation fields to reduce exposure to critical patient structures, such as organs, using computers, manuals, and guides.
- Plan the use of beam modifying devices, such as compensators, shields, and wedge filters, to ensure safe and effective delivery of radiation treatment.
- Identify and outline bodily structures, using imaging procedures, such as x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or positron emission tomography.
- Calculate the delivery of radiation treatment, such as the amount or extent of radiation per session, based on the prescribed course of radiation therapy.
- Calculate, or verify calculations of, prescribed radiation doses.
- Develop radiation treatment plans in consultation with members of the radiation oncology team.
- Supervise or perform simulations for tumor localizations, using imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or positron emission tomography scans.
- Create and transfer reference images and localization markers for treatment delivery, using image-guided radiation therapy.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking4.1 / 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
- Active Listening4.0 / 5
- Speaking3.9 / 5
- Writing3.8 / 5
- Mathematics3.5 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Mathematics4.2 / 5
- Physics4.2 / 5
- Computers and Electronics4.0 / 5
- Biology3.7 / 5
- Medicine and Dentistry3.6 / 5
- English Language3.6 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic60
- Investigative72
- Artistic5
- Social43
- Enterprising20
- Conventional67
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- therapeutic radiographer · DE Fachassistent Strahlentherapie/Fachassistentin Strahlentherapie · FR technicien en radiothérapie/technicienne en radiothérapie
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Occupational therapists (2222)56,000 employed
- Podiatrists (2256)16,200 employed
- Medical radiographers (2254)44,200 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
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