Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Radiation Therapists
Occupation · SOC 29-1124.00
Provide radiation therapy to patients as prescribed by a radiation oncologist according to established practices and standards. Duties may include reviewing prescription and diagnosis; acting as liaison with physician and supportive care personnel; preparing equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, and protection devices; and maintaining records, reports, and files. May assist in dosimetry procedures and tumor localization.
Also called: Dosimetrist · Radiation Therapist (RT) · Registered Radiation Therapist · Staff Radiation Therapist · Computed Tomography Simulation Therapist (CT Simulation Therapist) · Radiation Therapy Technologist (RTT) · Radiation Oncology Registered Nurse (Radiation Oncology RN) · Radiation Therapy Technician · Radiologic Therapist · Radiology Therapist
Job family: Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-29-1124-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+1.9% by 2034)
- 900 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $101,990/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
35th-percentile task overlap — yet about 900 openings a year (+1.9% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 42nd | -0.2 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 44th | 0.5 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 26th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.5). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.3 · 40th percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Help physicians, radiation oncologists, or clinical physicists to prepare physical or technical aspects of radiation treatment plans, using information about patient condition and anatomy. | 0.3% | |
| Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +1.9% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 900 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 19,200 → 19,600 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Radiation Therapists sits at the 40th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
22% mean task exposure (2025)
40th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+2 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Equipment Technicians · 3211 | 22% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Administer prescribed doses of radiation to specific body parts, using radiation therapy equipment according to established practices and standards. Core · importance 4.9
- Position patients for treatment with accuracy, according to prescription. Core · importance 4.9
- Follow principles of radiation protection for patient, self, and others. Core · importance 4.8
- Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification. Core · importance 4.8
- Conduct most treatment sessions independently, in accordance with the long-term treatment plan and under the general direction of the patient's physician. Core · importance 4.8
- Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage. Core · importance 4.8
- Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation. Core · importance 4.7
- Observe and reassure patients during treatment and report unusual reactions to physician or turn equipment off if unexpected adverse reactions occur. Core · importance 4.7
- Educate, prepare, and reassure patients and their families by answering questions, providing physical assistance, and reinforcing physicians' advice regarding treatment reactions or post-treatment care. Core · importance 4.6
- Maintain records, reports, or files as required, including such information as radiation dosages, equipment settings, or patients' reactions. Core · importance 4.6
- Check for side effects, such as skin irritation, nausea, or hair loss to assess patients' reaction to treatment. Core · importance 4.6
- Prepare or construct equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, or protection devices. Core · importance 4.5
- Help physicians, radiation oncologists, or clinical physicists to prepare physical or technical aspects of radiation treatment plans, using information about patient condition and anatomy. Core · importance 4.5
- Calculate actual treatment dosages delivered during each session. Core · importance 4.5
- Act as liaison with physicist and supportive care personnel. Core · importance 4.4
- Photograph treated area of patient and process film. Core · importance 4.4
- Implement appropriate follow-up care plans. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Schedule patients for treatment times. Core · importance 4.2
- Provide assistance to other healthcare personnel during dosimetry procedures and tumor localization. Core · importance 4.2
- Train or supervise student or subordinate radiotherapy technologists. Core · importance 4.0
- Store, sterilize, or prepare the special applicators containing the radioactive substance implanted by the physician. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Assist in the preparation of sealed radioactive materials, such as cobalt, radium, cesium, or isotopes, for use in radiation treatments. Supplemental · importance 3.8
Work activities
- Schedule patient procedures or appointments.
- Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
- Administer cancer treatments.
- Position patients for treatment or examination.
- Adjust settings or positions of medical equipment.
- Enter patient or treatment data into computers.
- Protect patients or staff members using safety equipment.
- Maintain medical facility records.
- Verify accuracy of patient information.
- Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
- Provide basic health care services.
- Examine medical instruments or equipment to ensure proper operation.
- Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities.
- Inform medical professionals regarding patient conditions and care.
- Examine patients to assess general physical condition.
- Explain medical procedures or test results to patients or family members.
- Interact with patients to build rapport or provide emotional support.
- Calculate numerical data for medical activities.
- Fabricate medical devices.
- Process x-rays or other medical images.
- Operate diagnostic imaging equipment.
- Develop medical treatment plans.
- Train medical providers.
- Supervise patient care personnel.
- Assist healthcare practitioners during examinations or treatments.
- Implement therapeutic programs to improve patient functioning.
- Prepare medications or medical solutions.
- Sterilize medical equipment or instruments.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.6 | |
| English Language | 4.0 | |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 4.0 | |
| Physics | 3.8 | |
| Mathematics | 3.6 | |
| Education and Training | 3.5 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.5 | |
| Therapy and Counseling | 3.4 | |
| Psychology | 3.4 | |
| Biology | 3.3 | |
| Administrative | 3.1 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.9 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.9 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Written Expression | 3.6 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.6 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.5 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.4 | |
| Near Vision | 3.4 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.4 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 | |
| Control Precision | 3.1 | |
| Far Vision | 3.1 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Active Listening | 3.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | |
| Speaking | 3.3 | |
| Monitoring | 3.3 | |
| Writing | 3.1 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.4 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.4 | |
| Coordination | 3.3 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.3 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | |
| Operation and Control | 3.1 | |
| Time Management | 3.1 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- Associate's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 50.1% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 37.5% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 8.9% | |
| Some College Courses | 3.5% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Dependability | 9.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 8.0 | |
| Integrity | 7.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 6.0 | |
| Cooperation | 5.0 | |
| Self-Control | 4.0 |
Interest areas
| Health Care Service | 6.4 | |
| Medical Science | 4.5 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 3.5 | |
| Social Service | 3.4 | |
| Physical Science | 3.4 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 3.2 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.0 | |
| Social | 4.8 | |
| Investigative | 4.6 | |
| Conventional | 4.5 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $77,860 |
| 25th percentile | $86,520 |
| Median (50th) | $101,990 |
| 75th percentile | $120,360 |
| 90th percentile | $141,550 |
| People employed | 18,700 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 17,930 | $101,940 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 380 | $104,880 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 150 | $83,530 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | — | $126,980 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | — | $81,480 |
| Educational Services · Sector | — | $105,610 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 6.4× | 17,930 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 0.47× | 150 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.35× | 380 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians · 29-2031.00 Compare →
- Radiologic Technologists and Technicians · 29-2034.00 Compare →
- Respiratory Therapists · 29-1126.00 Compare →
- Nuclear Medicine Technologists · 29-2033.00 Compare →
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographers · 29-2032.00 Compare →
- Radiologists · 29-1224.00 Compare →
- Medical Dosimetrists · 29-2036.00 Compare →
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists · 29-2035.00 Compare →
- Surgical Assistants · 29-9093.00 Compare →
- Neurodiagnostic Technologists · 29-2099.01 Compare →
- Pediatric Surgeons · 29-1243.00 Compare →
- Cardiologists · 29-1212.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Radiation Therapists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Associate's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Health Professions and Related Programs · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 40th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Radiation Therapists show 35th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 900 annual U.S. openings
- Radiation Therapists rank in the 35th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 900 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.9%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $101,990, across about 18,700 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Radiation Therapists show 35th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 900 annual U.S. openings • Radiation Therapists rank in the 35th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 900 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.9%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $101,990, across about 18,700 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Radiation Therapists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-1124-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Radiation Therapists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-1124-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Radiation Therapists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-1124-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-29-1124-00,
title = {Radiation Therapists},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-1124-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.