Case studies : Senior dosimetrist: Jane

Jane has a degree in radiotherapy and oncology from Sheffield Hallam University and currently works as a senior dosimetrist at James Cook University Hospital.

I qualified from Sheffield Hallam University over three-and-a-half years ago with a degree in radiotherapy and oncology. I chose to become a radiographer because I specifically wanted to work in health care, in particular the National Health Service (NHS). The aspects of the job that appealed to me were the job security, a good starting wage and pension, and the opportunity to work at home or abroad once qualified.

I applied to several hospitals in my last year at university and decided to stay on at James Cook where I was clinically placed during my degree. Initially I worked on the treatment units as a therapy radiographer, then I gradually rotated around the department to pre-treatment and decided that dosimetry (radiotherapy planning) was the direction I wanted to progress in.

As a dosimetrist daily tasks include outlining volumes of interests/organs at risk for a range of anatomical sites requiring radiotherapy treatment. The basic principles of radiotherapy planning and principles of physics and radiobiology were gained during my degree and form the basis of producing the optimal radiotherapy treatment plan, using tools such as beam modelling, plan evaluation and analysis.

In dosimetry you get to manage your own workload throughout the day and it is more mentally challenging than physically challenging. Unfortunately you do not get as much exercise as you would on the treatment machines or even in pre-treatment. We liaise closely with pre-treatment and treatment regarding optimal/achievable patient set-up and treatment techniques. It is vital that we keep up to date with new treatment techniques in order to progress as a team.

I would advise anyone interested in dosimetry to gain experience on treatment machines and rotate through pre-treatment and dosimetry once qualified to gain knowledge on different patient set-up techniques and any limitations or factors to be aware of, such as unachievable gantry angles. It is essential that you understand the underlying principles of planning. It is a relatively new role and opportunities are available across the country.