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Medical Physicist UK

Treating cancer accurately

What does a radiotherapy physicist do?

Radiotherapy physicists help plan, measure, verify and improve radiation treatments so the intended dose reaches the target while unnecessary exposure is limited.

Plan and model doseUse patient imaging and treatment systems to support an accurate clinical plan.
Measure and assure qualityTest equipment, check calculations and investigate results outside tolerance.
Work across professionsCollaborate with oncologists, radiographers, technologists, engineers and other scientists.

What kind of work is involved?

  • Treatment planning and dose calculation
  • Machine commissioning and quality assurance
  • Patient-specific verification
  • Brachytherapy or other specialist techniques where provided
  • Incident learning, risk assessment and service improvement
  • Research, automation, data analysis and new technology evaluation

Which skills matter?

Precision matters, but the work is not solitary calculation. You need to explain uncertainty, document decisions, challenge unsafe assumptions and understand how technical choices affect a patient pathway.

  • Applied radiation physics
  • Careful measurement and data interpretation
  • Programming or automation
  • Clear multidisciplinary communication
  • Calm judgement when results do not look right

How do you train for this area?

Radiotherapy Physics is one of the current NSHCS Medical Physics specialties. In England, the STP is a main pre-registration training route; other UK nations have their own arrangements.

Understand the STPCompare UK routes

Is this different from being a radiographer?

Yes. Therapeutic radiographers and clinical scientists have different training, registration and responsibilities, although they work closely together. Use the actual professional role description rather than treating the titles as interchangeable.

Test the fit

Would you prefer treatment work or imaging-focused work?

Compare the problems, equipment and patient pathways before choosing a preference.

Compare radiotherapy and imagingReview all specialisms
Sources and review date