Dosimetrist
Mass General Brigham
Boston, MA
5x8 hrs, Days

At Mass General Brigham, we believe in recognizing and rewarding the unique value each team member brings to our organization. When determining base pay, we take a comprehensive approach that considers your skills, relevant experience, education, certifications, and other critical factors. The pay information provided offers an estimate based on the minimum job qualifications, but it does not encompass all the elements that contribute to your total compensation package.

General summary: Medical dosimetrists are trained to work as team members in managing cancer patients going through radiation treatments. They are trained in all areas of basic medical physics with special emphasis in treatment planning. The primary role is to understand and integrate the clinical information specified by the radiation oncologist for each patient. They then utilize departmental resources to design optimal treatment strategies and to ensure that such treatments are properly delivered. They work closely with physicists, physicians, therapists, nurses, and engineers. Principal Duties and Responsibilities A. Treatment Planning activities The routine treatment planning activities are usually carried out by medical dosimetrists. Irradiation modalities may include both external and brachytherapy sources. The tasks include: 1. Collection and analysis of patient data; interaction with radiation oncologists to define target volumes and critical structures. 2. Design of an optimal approach for the treatment. 3. Basic dose calculation and 2D, 3D, IMRT, SBRT, SRS/SRT or Adaptive treatment planning using treatment planning software on several different platforms 4. Competency in multiple treatment sites and treatment techniques 5. Advanced dosimetrist may be required to lead the specific disease site treatment planning efforts, which includes participating in disease site clinical meetings, leading and updating disease site in-services, training and cross training new hires and co-workers, serving as a liaison between physicians and the planning group for a specific disease site 6. Design of immobilization device(s) or other accessories to ensure reproducibility of the treatments and conformation to the plan and/or the simulation. 7. Design of custom shielding blocks, compensators and other beam modifying devices to optimize dose distributions. When necessary, they also may fabricate these devices. 8. Radiation dosage calculation and documentation of radiation beam output according to the plan and the physician’s description. 9. Implementation of the treatment plan in the clinic. 10. Verification of the doses delivered to the patient. When necessary, the dosimetrists may be required to perform dose measurements on a patient or in a physical object simulating the patient and interpret the results. 11. Participation in the “on call” weekend treatment planning activities for emergency treatment 12. Besides planning for brachytherapy, dosimetrists may also be required to assist in the loading and removal of sources from patients. 13. Teach medical dosimetry to students, residents and visitors 14. Participate in continuing education and quality improvement processes. Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned as necessary. These fall under the activities described in the scope of position. Qualifications A. Education Bachelor’s degree in physics or related science major topic is a requirement for this position. Knowledgeable in the areas of anatomy, physiology, clinical oncology, radiobiology, radiation physics and radiation safety. Knowledgeable in the technical aspects of radiation oncology and medical physics and able to develop clinical treatment plans. Practical knowledge of health care informatics: resources, devices and methods to acquire, store and retrieve data required for the treatment planning process B. Experience and certification: Certification by the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board (MDCB) and at least 2 years of practical planning experience is required Advanced dosimetrist meets required for this level competencies established and maintained by the Treatment Planning Leadership group Note: for hires prior to 2011, significant direct experience and meeting required competencies may be considered in lieu of CMD certification C. Other skill requirements The dosimetrists must be mature, considerate and honest individuals as they interact with multiple disciplines that are involved in their daily routines towards successful patient treatment. Professionally, they should have the ability and the desire to provide competent and efficient health care. Because of the multitude and diversity of treatment data involved in their daily work, dosimetrists should have the ability to attend to details in complex processes. Furthermore, they should have the desire and capacity to learn and expand their knowledge.