Also called: CMD
Designs the exact radiation beams and doses used to destroy a cancer tumor while sparing healthy tissue.
Works at a computer with a 3D model of a patient's body, angling up to a dozen virtual radiation beams so they meet at the tumor and miss the spinal cord. Each plan is a puzzle with a life on the line.
Estimate from AAMD surveys.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's plus a 1-2 year dosimetry program (many start as radiation therapists) and CMD certification.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Medical Dosimetry, Physics, Radiation Therapy.
Growing about average. Steady demand tied to cancer care.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI auto-contouring and auto-planning now produce draft treatment plans in minutes, so fewer dosimetrists review more cases; complex plans stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Anatomy & physiology, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-2036.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.