Therapeutic radiographer

As a therapeutic radiographer, you'll use a range of highly specialised equipment to deliver accurate doses of radiation to tumours to destroy diseased tissue, while minimising the amount of radiation to surrounding healthy tissue. You may also use radiotherapy to treat some benign, or non-cancerous, conditions.

As part of the radiotherapy team, you'll have lots of contact with patients and their families. You will care for and support them before, during and after their treatment, and will play a vital role in helping them cope with side effects during and after treatment.

What does a therapeutic radiographer do?

You'll need to:

• help plan radiotherapy treatment by preparing patients for planning scans and using equipment to help them stay in the correct position
• check treatment plans and prepare equipment and records so treatment can be delivered safely and accurately
• explain the treatment and the processes used to patients and their families or carers, helping them make informed decisions about their treatment
• follow agreed treatment plans to deliver the prescribed radiation dose safely and accurately
• operate highly specialised radiotherapy and imaging equipment responsibly and confidently, carrying out safety checks and reporting any faults or concerns
• use images taken before or during treatment to check that the dose is delivered as planned
• build relationships with your patients and their families or carers to gain their cooperation and trust
• explain to patients how to manage short- and long-term radiotherapy side effects and ensure they're followed up appropriately after treatment
• work as part of a multidisciplinary team that includes other therapeutic radiographers, clinical oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, nurses, engineers and support staff
• keep accurate, computer-based records and meet professional standards, including keeping your knowledge and skills up to date and supporting students and trainees.

At a senior level, you may need to:

• lead and coordinate a team or specialist work area
• support the operational management and continuing development of the radiotherapy service, including service improvement, workload management, staff supervision, recruitment, training and appraisal.

Therapeutic radiographer salaries

• Jobs in the NHS in England are usually covered by the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay rates, consisting of nine pay bands. Salaries for newly qualified therapeutic radiographers typically start at £32,073 (Band 5). With experience, salaries can rise to between £39,959 and £48,117 (Band 6).
• Specialist, team leader and advanced or enhanced practitioner therapeutic radiographer roles may be paid at Band 6 or Band 7, depending on the level of responsibility. Band 7 salaries range from £49,387 to £56,515. Some highly specialist or lead roles may be higher if they involve significant clinical expertise or responsibility for a specialist area of practice.
• There are a small number of senior posts available as consultant therapeutic radiographers and radiotherapy service managers, superintendents and heads of service. Salaries for these posts are likely to range from £57,528 to £91,609 (Bands 8a to 8c), depending on your experience, qualifications, training and level of clinical leadership, strategic responsibility and service management.

High-cost area supplements ranging from 5% to 20% are available for those living in inner, outer and fringe areas of London. On-call allowances and overtime payments are paid in addition to the basic salary.

Pay rates outside the NHS vary by employer and are usually set according to experience, specialism and local demand. Some private-sector roles advertise fixed salary ranges, while others state that pay depends on experience.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

How many hours do therapeutic radiographers work?

You'll typically work a 37.5-hour week, which may include evenings, early mornings, weekends and on-call work. Some services operate extended days or flexible shift patterns to meet patient and service needs.

Part-time work, flexible working and job sharing may be possible, depending on the employer and departmental needs.

How do you become a therapeutic radiographer?

You must be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). To be eligible to apply for registration, you must complete an HCPC-approved therapeutic radiography training programme at undergraduate or postgraduate level. You will also need a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, or Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme check in Scotland, and occupational health clearance.

The undergraduate degree usually lasts three years full time, or four years in Scotland. Part-time options may be available at some universities. You'll typically need A-levels, including a science subject, plus GCSEs at grade 4/C or above in English, maths and science, or equivalent qualifications.

If you already have a degree in a relevant health, physical, biological or life science subject, such as human biology, biological sciences, biomedical sciences, physics, psychology or nursing, you may be eligible for an accelerated postgraduate course. These are usually full time and take around two years. Courses combine academic study with clinical placements.

Alternatively, in England you could take a degree apprenticeship that leads to an HCPC-approved BSc therapeutic radiography qualification. Apprenticeships combine paid work with academic study, allowing you to train on the job. They are advertised by employers and are usually delivered in partnership with a university.

Entry requirements vary, so check with individual universities for exact details. For a list of qualifying courses, search HCPC - Approved Programmes.

Eligible pre-registration therapeutic radiography students in England can receive at least £6,000 a year in funding support through the NHS Learning Support Fund. Funding arrangements differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so check with the relevant student funding body.

Therapeutic radiographer skills

You'll need:

• strong communication skills to explain radiotherapy treatment clearly and sensitively to patients and their families or carers
• empathy, emotional resilience and the ability to support patients who may be anxious, distressed or seriously ill
• excellent attention to detail to deliver the correct radiation dose safely and accurately, in line with treatment plans and safety procedures
• confidence using specialist radiotherapy and imaging equipment, including adapting to new technology and changes in practice
• observation, analytical and decision-making skills to check images, monitor patients and respond appropriately to concerns during treatment
• teamwork skills to work closely with clinical oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, nurses, engineers and other therapeutic radiographers.

Do you need therapeutic radiography work experience?

It's a good idea to research the role and, where possible, visit or shadow staff in a radiotherapy department before applying to a course. Some universities may expect or strongly recommend this, and it can help you understand what therapeutic radiographers do and whether the role is right for you.

Contact course admissions teams or local hospital radiotherapy departments to ask about open days, insight events, work shadowing or clinical visits. Opportunities vary between departments and may be limited by patient confidentiality, safety requirements and service pressures.

Previous experience with the public is also useful, particularly in a health, care, support, charity or customer-facing role. This can help you show that you have the communication skills, empathy and maturity needed to work with a diverse range of patients and their families or carers.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Where do therapeutic radiographers work?

The majority of therapeutic radiographers in the UK work in NHS hospitals and cancer centres. There are also opportunities with private healthcare providers, independent radiotherapy centres, universities and research organisations. There may also be opportunities to work overseas in hospitals, clinics, universities or research settings.

There are national shortages across the radiotherapy workforce, including therapeutic radiographers. Vacancies are advertised across NHS trusts, and being geographically flexible may improve your chances of finding work.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Health Jobs UK
• NHS Jobs and the websites of individual NHS trusts.
• NHSScotland Jobs
• Radiotherapy UK jobs
• Society of Radiographers

Private healthcare providers and specialist recruitment agencies such as Your World Healthcare also advertise vacancies.

Where can a career in therapeutic radiography lead?

In the first five to ten years, you may progress from a newly qualified post to more senior or specialist therapeutic radiographer roles. You could specialise in areas such as:

• brachytherapy
• image-guided radiotherapy
• paediatrics
• palliative care
• patient review and support
• proton beam therapy
• research or practice education
• treatment planning.

To stay registered with the HCPC, you must keep your knowledge and skills up to date through continuing professional development (CPD). This can include workplace learning, short courses, conferences, further study, research, reflective practice and training in new radiotherapy techniques or equipment. The Society of Radiographers provides CPD support, professional guidance, events and networking opportunities for members.

You may also take post-registration postgraduate qualifications to help you move into advanced radiotherapy practice, or train to become an independent and supplementary prescriber by completing an approved prescribing programme.

Further progression can lead to roles in clinical leadership, service leadership, consultant practice and management. Promotion depends on your experience, performance, CPD and further training, as well as service needs and job availability. There are also opportunities to move into education, research, charity work or industry, such as working for a radiotherapy equipment manufacturer to support and train staff on new equipment or software.