It takes specific skills and a special attitude to work in radiation therapy.
“People always asked me if it was sad working with cancer patients all day,” said Susan Lanham, program director of the radiation therapy program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College in Rome. “I tell them, ‘No.’ I was blessed every day I walked into the therapy department. The rewards are great in this job.”
Lanham was fighting against cancer. The treatment she administered could put a patient’s cancer into remission or even cure it. It could give patients a better quality of life and more time with their families.
“There’s no better feeling than that,” she said.
Georgia Northwestern Tech has the only radiation technology program in the Technical College System of Georgia. The school offers a diploma program for people who are already working in imaging and an associate degree for people with no medical background. In-state tuition is $75 per credit hour; out-of-state students pay $150 per credit hour.
Armstrong Atlantic State University and Georgia Health Sciences University offer four-year degree radiation technology programs.
“We have competitive admissions and only take 10 students each summer,” Lanham said.
Prospective students are required to complete 22 prerequisite hours to be considered for the program, but they can take those core courses at other technical colleges.
Radiation therapists give prescribed radiation to patients under the direction of radiation oncologists. They must have the science and technology skills to understand the components of high-voltage linear accelerators, the equipment that delivers radiation treatment.
But they also need good communication skills, the ability to work with a team, a positive personality and a desire to help people.
“Our patients come to us five days a week for six to nine weeks, so we get to know them well,” Lanham said. “I tell my students that if they have personal baggage, to leave it in the trunk of their cars when they come to work.”
Students take courses in radiation therapy physics, cross/section anatomy, oncology, pathology, quality management, treatment planning, research methods and advanced radiation technologies. They learn about theory in class, but practice skills at clinical sites in northwest Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.
“We don’t have the equipment here, because it’s such high voltage and so expensive,” Lanham said.
Students practice their skills at hospitals, imaging centers and cancer clinics. When they graduate, they’re prepared to sit for the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists exam.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the job market for radiation therapists to grow by 20 percent by 2020.
“We tell our students not to expect to find a job close to home. Most rural areas will only have one radiation therapy lab. Graduates will most likely have to move for a first job,” Lanham said.
Starting salaries range from $25 to $33 an hour.
For information, call 706-295-6962 or go to www.gntc.edu.
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