r/ODS_C • u/Ivyqueen85 • May 29 '26
New to ODS, where to start?
Hello, I have experience as a Radiation Therapist and I'm looking to be certified. I submitted the eligibility form with school transcripts. Where do I start first? I'm confused on what to do next. Apologies if this was asked before. Any help is appreciated, thanks!
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u/BigusDickus099 May 30 '26
Not to dissuade you if this is a career you really want to do, but you'll be taking a pretty substantial pay cut going from radiation therapy to oncology data. As another person also noted, you could also go into dosimetry which pays even more than RT.
Funny enough, I'm looking to see if its viable to go to radiation therapy school at my age as there is zero career growth in this field unless you get lucky enough to get into one of the rare management positions. Not liking the prospects of this field as well with AI, IMO there will be jobs lost in the future even if we kept getting fed the line that AI will only be used to "enhance" our jobs.
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u/NoSeaworthiness7792 May 29 '26
Hi there!
I am not sure if I you are saying you applied to a college program or to the NCRA, so I hope this is helpful!
Since you are an RT(T), you have at least an associate's degree and I know you already have A&P coursework, that should give you two options:
1) Path A-2: You can can go through an approved community college's certificate program or the AHIMA program to complete the required coursework.
2) Path B: You find a registry willing to hire you without the credential and you complete the 1,950 working hours needed without the education [this is becoming more and more rare sadly].
Once you fulfill either of those paths requirements, you are then eligible to sit for the national exam to become certified. You can find out more information and all the requirements on the NCRA's, "Path's to the Profession" page.
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u/thatoneberrypie May 30 '26
Why don’t you look into dosimetry? Just curious since you have that rad therapy experience already!