Will radiation therapists be replaced by AI?
Updated
Radiation therapists score 28 of 100 for AI exposure. 50% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 14% today and speed up another 36%.
- 14% AI can do it
- 36% AI helps
- 50% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 66% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 22 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 8 and leaves 11 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain records, reports, or files as required, including such information as radiation dosages, equipment settings, or patients' reactions. Dosage, settings, and reaction records are routine documentation AI handles well. | 75% AI can do it |
| Schedule patients for treatment times. Scheduling treatment times is routine software work with review. | 70% AI can do it |
| Calculate actual treatment dosages delivered during each session. Delivered dose calculations are routine arithmetic from session records. | 65% AI can do it |
| Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification. AI can cross-check chart and prescription; person verifies identity. | 45% AI helps |
| Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage. Data entry automates well; machine control stays manual. | 45% AI helps |
| Help physicians, radiation oncologists, or clinical physicists to prepare physical or technical aspects of radiation treatment plans, using information about patient condition and anatomy. Planning software and AI assist technical plan preparation; clinicians decide. | 40% AI helps |
| Implement appropriate follow-up care plans. AI can draft follow-up plans and reminders; physician approves. | 35% AI helps |
| Photograph treated area of patient and process film. Digital imaging helps, but photographing the patient is manual. | 30% AI helps |
| Act as liaison with physicist and supportive care personnel. Coordination messages can be drafted, but liaison relies on people. | 30% AI helps |
| Check for side effects, such as skin irritation, nausea, or hair loss to assess patients' reaction to treatment. Symptom screening can be AI-assisted, but examining patients is manual. | 25% AI helps |
Show the other 12 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Train or supervise student or subordinate radiotherapy technologists. AI can build training materials; supervision stays in person. | 25% AI helps |
| 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. Patient reassurance and physical help are in-person; education material is AI-aided. | 18% Needs a person |
| Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation. Physical equipment checks and QA need in-room hands-on work. | 15% Needs a person |
| Administer prescribed doses of radiation to specific body parts, using radiation therapy equipment according to established practices and standards. Delivering radiation needs in-room equipment operation and patient presence. | 12% Needs a person |
| Provide assistance to other healthcare personnel during dosimetry procedures and tumor localization. Assisting during dosimetry and localization is in-room physical work. | 12% Needs a person |
| Conduct most treatment sessions independently, in accordance with the long-term treatment plan and under the general direction of the patient's physician. Independent treatment sessions are hands-on clinical delivery. | 10% Needs a person |
| Observe and reassure patients during treatment and report unusual reactions to physician or turn equipment off if unexpected adverse reactions occur. Live observation and reassurance of patients needs human presence. | 10% Needs a person |
| Prepare or construct equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, or protection devices. Fabricating immobilization and shielding devices is hands-on work. | 10% Needs a person |
| Follow principles of radiation protection for patient, self, and others. Radiation protection practice is hands-on and physically present. | 8% Needs a person |
| Position patients for treatment with accuracy, according to prescription. Physical positioning of patients on treatment couch. | 5% Needs a person |
| Store, sterilize, or prepare the special applicators containing the radioactive substance implanted by the physician. Handling and sterilizing radioactive applicators is physical work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Assist in the preparation of sealed radioactive materials, such as cobalt, radium, cesium, or isotopes, for use in radiation treatments. Preparing sealed radioactive sources is hands-on, safety-critical handling. | 4% Needs a person |
How radiation therapists compare
All occupations (923)
Healthcare practitioners and technical (89)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $105,310 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 17,070 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +2.8% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Position patients on the treatment couch to prescription accuracy
- Run beam analysis software for daily machine quality checks
- Help plan physical setup in Eclipse IDE treatment workflows
- Hold ARRT radiation therapist certification
- Manage patient records in Epic Systems and eClinicalWorks
- Observe patients in real time and report adverse reactions
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about radiation therapists and AI
Will AI replace radiation therapists?
Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly maintaining treatment records and scheduling patient appointments. Positioning patients, observing them during sessions, and handling radiation protection stay with therapists because those tasks need a person physically present at the treatment couch.
Which tasks is AI taking over for radiation therapists?
Record keeping and scheduling come first. Maintaining records of dosages, settings, and patient reactions scores 75 on exposure, and scheduling treatment times scores 70, because both are routine software work that needs only a review. Calculating delivered dosage per session, scoring 65, is routine arithmetic from session records.
Which tasks stay human for radiation therapists?
Patient positioning, live observation, and radioactive source handling stay with therapists. Positioning patients scores 5 on exposure and observing patients during sessions scores 10, since both need a person in the treatment room with the patient. Preparing sealed radioactive materials scores 4 for the same reason of hands-on safety-critical handling.
How can radiation therapists stay valuable as AI spreads?
Spend more time on patient positioning and in-room observation, which remain with people. Learn Beam analysis software well enough to check beam data before each session. Use Epic Systems and eClinicalWorks to catch chart conflicts before treatment, and keep the ARRT certification current.
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