AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 29-1124.00
Will AI replace Radiation Therapists?
Radiation Therapists: AI can already handle 4 of 22 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 22 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Radiation Therapists, from most to least exposed. 4 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Calculate actual treatment dosages delivered during each session. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Check for side effects, such as skin irritation, nausea, or hair loss to assess patients' reaction to treatment. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Conduct most treatment sessions independently, in accordance with the long-term treatment plan and under the general direction of the patient's physician. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Help physicians, radiation oncologists, or clinical physicists to prepare physical or technical aspects of radiation treatment plans, using information about patient condition and anatomy. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Implement appropriate follow-up care plans. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Store, sterilize, or prepare the special applicators containing the radioactive substance implanted by the physician. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Train or supervise student or subordinate radiotherapy technologists. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Position patients for treatment with accuracy, according to prescription. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Follow principles of radiation protection for patient, self, and others. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Observe and reassure patients during treatment and report unusual reactions to physician or turn equipment off if unexpected adverse reactions occur. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Educate, prepare, and reassure patients and their families by answering questions, providing physical assistance, and reinforcing physicians' advice regarding treatment reactions or post-treatment care. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Photograph treated area of patient and process film. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Act as liaison with physicist and supportive care personnel. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Schedule patients for treatment times. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Provide assistance to other healthcare personnel during dosimetry procedures and tumor localization. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Assist in the preparation of sealed radioactive materials, such as cobalt, radium, cesium, or isotopes, for use in radiation treatments. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain records, reports, or files as required, including such information as radiation dosages, equipment settings, or patients' reactions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Prepare or construct equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, or protection devices. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Administer prescribed doses of radiation to specific body parts, using radiation therapy equipment according to established practices and standards. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 22 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 22 of 22. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 77% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 91% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 10% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 17,070
- Median annual wage
- $105,310
- Middle half of earners
- $92,060 to $126,340
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +1.9%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Medical Dosimetrists 74% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure53
- Radiologic Technologists and Technicians 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure36
- Respiratory Therapists 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure30
- Nuclear Medicine Technologists 66% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure56
- Radiologists 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure63
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Radiation Therapists and AI
Will AI replace Radiation Therapists?
AI already handles 4 of the 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 40 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +1.9% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Radiation Therapists?
40 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 22 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 22 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Radiation Therapists tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage; Calculate actual treatment dosages delivered during each session; Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification. They are three of the 4 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 77% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Radiation Therapists, and what do they earn?
17,070 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $105,310 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +1.9% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Radiation Therapists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/radiation-therapists
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