Department/Unit:
Radiation Oncology
Work Shift:
Day (United States of America)
Salary Range:
$95,182.78 - $152,292.45
The Lead Radiation Therapist will directly assist the Department Manager in planning and organizing the activities of the technical section of the Radiation Oncology Department to ensure provision of safe, cost effective, quality radiation therapy services. Performs simulations and delivers therapeutic ionizing radiation to the patient as prescribed by the Radiation Oncologists. Assists the physician and fellow employees in providing optimum care and treatment to the patients.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Leadership & Oversight
- Provide daily leadership and oversight to the radiation therapy team, ensuring safe, accurate, and efficient treatment delivery.
- Serve as the primary clinical resource for therapists regarding treatment setup, imaging, patient positioning, immobilization, and equipment troubleshooting.
- Ensure adherence to all departmental, state, and federal regulations related to radiation safety and clinical practice.
- Verify therapist annual competencies and oversee ongoing clinical skill development.
Treatment Delivery & Patient Care
- Perform and supervise radiation treatments according to oncologist-approved plans, treatment parameters, and quality standards.
- Ensure accurate patient identification, chart review, and verification processes (including IGRT, immobilization, and machine parameters).
- Monitor patient condition during treatment and promptly report changes to physicians and nursing staff.
Quality Assurance & Safety
- Participate in daily machine warm-ups, imaging QA, and safety checks; promptly report abnormalities to physics/engineering.
- Ensure therapists follow established QA protocols, including time-out procedures and documentation requirements.
- Lead incident reporting, near-miss reviews, and follow-up action plans to improve patient and staff safety.
- Collaborate with physics and physicians on workflow optimization, error reduction, and new technique implementation.
Scheduling & Workflow Coordination
- Coordinate daily therapist assignments, break coverage, and room rotations to maintain steady patient flow.
- Manage add-on cases, STAT treatments, and urgent scheduling changes with clear communication and minimal disruption.
- Assist with CT simulation scheduling, special procedures, and complex patient setups.
- Collaborate with front office, nursing, dosimetry, and physicists to ensure efficient multidisciplinary workflow.
Administrative & Operational Duties
- Responsible for daily charge capture and reconciliation, ensuring all treatment, simulation, and professional charges are accurate and submitted in a timely manner.
- Manage theranostic coordination (Pluvicto), including patient scheduling, authorization, and communication with multidisciplinary teams to ensure timely and compliant treatment pathways.
- Oversee accuracy and completeness of electronic treatment records, documentation, imaging approvals, and charge capture.
- Maintain inventory of treatment-related supplies, ordering and replenishing through WorkDay procurement.
- Collaborate with leadership on capital equipment needs.
- Participate in hiring, onboarding, mentoring, and performance feedback for therapists, as well as therapy students.
- Assist leadership with policy development, process improvement initiatives, and accreditation readiness (ACRO).
Education, Training & Professional Development
- Provide ongoing training for new technologies, treatment techniques, and updated protocols.
- Support continuing education and promote a culture of learning and professional accountability.
- Lead or participate in staff meetings, competency assessments, in-services, and quality improvement projects.
Qualifications
- Completion of a training program in a Radiation Therapy Technology program in an AMA approved school - required
- 5+ years experience - required
- Utilizes addition, subtraction, multiplication and division as necessary during Simulation or Daily QA operations.
- Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patient as well as their medical and psycho/social status.
- Demonstrates the ability to use good judgment and organize work to achieve quality, efficient care, both independently and when interacting with others.
- Must operate high voltage machinery safely and accurately and to communicate to pertinent personnel when malfunctions occur.
- Will concern themselves with the welfare of the patient at all times and will conduct themselves in a responsible and professional manner.
- NY State License - Radiation Therapist State of New York Department of Health Upon Hire - required
- ARRT - American Registry of Radiologic Technologists Credentialing through the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) Upon Hire - required.
- Maintains required Continuing Education credits in compliance with license registration requirements.
Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
Thank you for your interest in Albany Medical Center!
Albany Medical Center is an equal opportunity employer.
This role may require access to information considered sensitive to Albany Medical Center, its patients, affiliates, and partners, including but not limited to HIPAA Protected Health Information and other information regulated by Federal and New York State statutes. Workforce members are expected to ensure that:
Access to information is based on a “need to know” and is the minimum necessary to properly perform assigned duties. Use or disclosure shall not exceed the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish an intended purpose. Reasonable efforts, consistent with Albany Medical Center policies and standards, shall be made to ensure that information is adequately protected from unauthorized access and modification.
Thank you for your interest in Albany Medical Center!
Albany Medical is an equal opportunity employer.
This role may require access to information considered sensitive to Albany Medical Center, its patients, affiliates, and partners, including but not limited to HIPAA Protected Health Information and other information regulated by Federal and New York State statutes. Workforce members are expected to ensure that:
Access to information is based on a “need to know” and is the minimum necessary to properly perform assigned duties. Use or disclosure shall not exceed the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish an intended purpose. Reasonable efforts, consistent with Albany Med Center policies and standards, shall be made to ensure that information is adequately protected from unauthorized access and modification.
