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Medical Dosimetrist

$147,470
median / year
$111,670 – $185,450
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Use imaging and treatment-planning software to calculate radiation dose and shape a safe cancer-treatment plan.

You may also see this posted as: CMD (Certified Medical Dosimetrist), Dosimetrist, Medical Physicist, Radiation Oncology Medical Physicist.

Where you work

Hospitals and cancer treatment centers; computer-based work with a clinical team.

The hours

Usually full-time with regular schedules.

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • 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.

Good fit if you like…

Investigative

solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailDependabilityCautiousnessIntegrity

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Eclipse IDEEpic SystemsMEDITECH softwareMedical condition coding software

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$147,470
per year
Hourly median
$70.90
per hour
What most earn
$111,670–$185,450
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~200
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+3.5%
About average
Working in the U.S.
3,410
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 13.8% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's degree plus an accredited dosimetry program and certification.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

Certification is widely expected; some states regulate the work.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

Find state licensesFind recognized certifications

What it takes

Radiation physicsTreatment planningAnatomyPrecision

The honest take

Calculates and maps radiation doses for cancer treatment with radiation oncologists and medical physicists.

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Standard Occupational Classification 29-2036. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.