Will “Radiation Oncology Registered Nurse (Radiation Oncology RN)” be Automated?

Core Skills & Abilities

• Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage.

• Position patients for treatment with accuracy, according to prescription.

• Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation.

• Administer prescribed doses of radiation to specific body parts, using radiation therapy equipment according to established practices and standards.

• Prepare or construct equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, or protection devices.

• 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.

• Calculate actual treatment dosages delivered during each session.

• Observe and reassure patients during treatment and report unusual reactions to physician or turn equipment off if unexpected adverse reactions occur.

• Photograph treated area of patient and process film.

• Implement appropriate follow-up care plans.

• Train or supervise student or subordinate radiotherapy technologists.

• Schedule patients for treatment times.

• Check for side effects, such as skin irritation, nausea, or hair loss to assess patients' reaction to treatment.

• Conduct most treatment sessions independently, in accordance with the long-term treatment plan and under the general direction of the patient's physician.

• Help physicians, radiation oncologists, or clinical physicists to prepare physical or technical aspects of radiation treatment plans, using information about patient condition and anatomy.

• Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification.

• Store, sterilize, or prepare the special applicators containing the radioactive substance implanted by the physician.

• Assist in the preparation of sealed radioactive materials, such as cobalt, radium, cesium, or isotopes, for use in radiation treatments.

• Follow principles of radiation protection for patient, self, and others.

• Act as liaison with physicist and supportive care personnel.

• Maintain records, reports, or files as required, including such information as radiation dosages, equipment settings, or patients' reactions.

• Provide assistance to other healthcare personnel during dosimetry procedures and tumor localization.