dosimetrist
Meaning of dosimetrist: A dosimetrist calculates and plans radiation dose distributions for cancer treatment, working alongside radiation oncologists and medical physicists to protect healthy tissue.
Definition of dosimetrist
A dosimetrist is an allied health professional who calculates and designs the distribution of radiation dose used in radiation therapy. Working from a radiation oncologist's prescription, the dosimetrist uses specialized planning software to map out how radiation beams should be aimed and shaped.
The goal of this planning is to deliver the prescribed dose to the treatment target, most often a tumor, as precisely as possible while limiting the dose reaching nearby healthy tissue and organs, since excess radiation to normal tissue carries its own risks.
A dosimetrist typically works closely with a radiation oncologist, who determines the treatment goals, and a medical physicist, who verifies that the equipment delivers the plan accurately, together forming the team responsible for the technical planning behind a course of radiation treatment.
Used in a sentence
The dosimetrist prepared a treatment plan for review by the radiation oncologist before the first treatment session.
Good to know
A dosimetrist plans the technical details of a radiation dose distribution, a distinct role from the radiation oncologist, who determines the overall treatment goals and prescribes the dose.
Word origin
Where “dosimetrist” comes from
Formed from Greek dosis, meaning a giving or dose, and metron, meaning measure, with the suffix -ist, denoting a person who performs an activity.