My Working Day/Yvonne Slowey, radiation therapist at the radiation oncology department, University College Hospital Galway, is responsible for the patient's overall wellbeing during treatment.
The radiation therapist is the main contact person for the patient during their radiotherapy treatment and is involved in all aspects of the treatment process. As a radiation therapist, I work closely with the radiation oncologist, physicist and nurses in the planning of the radiotherapy treatment and am responsible for delivering the physician's prescribed treatment.
I am also responsible for the patient's overall physical and psychological wellbeing throughout their time in the department. Sometimes if patients are having their head or neck treated, immobilisation masks are required. These are made by radiation therapists.
Radiation therapists must undergo a specific four-year degree course in radiotherapy. Additional skills required for this profession are good interpersonal and support skills as we are dealing with patients on a daily basis. Teamwork is also vital to ensure that each procedure is carried out efficiently and to the highest standard.
Radiotherapy is the careful use of high-energy radiation to treat and cure cancer or to relieve a cancer patient's symptoms using sophisticated, modern equipment.
Approximately 60 per cent of cancer patients will require radiotherapy at some time during the course of their disease. Cancer patients can receive radiotherapy in conjunction with surgery and/ or chemotherapy and hormone therapy or a patient may be treated with radiotherapy alone.
Non-cancerous conditions can also be treated with radiotherapy such as keloid scars.
The radiation therapists at UCHG work from 8am-4.30pm, Monday to Friday. We also provide a 48 hours weekend on-call service for emergencies, such as spinal cord compression or breathing obstruction, which require radiotherapy.
My typical working day can change depending on the area in which I am working. The "bread and butter" area in radiotherapy is the treatment machine. When working on the treatment machine, you can be dealing with up to 40 patients a day. Each of them must be treated with pinpoint accuracy.
As well as treating these patients, you support and inform them throughout their treatment. The number of times a patient will visit the department for treatment can vary from one to 37 times.
Other areas that radiation therapists work in is CT planning, dosimetry and brachytherapy (when radiation is given internally to patients). Radiation therapists scan patients on their first day in the position that they will be in for the duration of their treatment.
Sometimes, due to the number of patients who must be treated in a working day, you cannot give them each as much time as you would like. In UCHG, we have tried to resolve this problem by appointing an information and support radiation therapist who can meet the patient should they require any extra support or information.
Probably not the easiest, but the most rewarding part of the job is helping and supporting patients. Radiotherapy is quite a daunting procedure. The fear of the unknown sometimes scares patients more than their illness.
It is very rewarding putting patients at ease and helping them through this difficult time. As a patient can be coming for up to 37 treatments, you build up quite a close relationship with them.
Due to the low number of radiation therapists working in the State, it can be difficult to get recognition as a profession which can make recruitment and retention of therapists difficult. This is an area which could be improved and in turn our service to the patients would improve.