Ellen Emerson, who is in the second year of a Bachelor of Radiation Therapy (BRT), says the chance to build rapport with patients has been a highlight of her studies so far.
Otago is the only New Zealand university offering a Bachelor of Radiation Therapy (BRT), but what do radiation therapists do and what does it take to become one? Laura Hewson finds out.
When people think of radiation therapy, laughter isn’t probably the first thing that comes to mind.
But it definitely plays a part, Radiation Therapy Head of Department and Lecturer Kate Chadwick says.
“Many people think that working with cancer patients would be very sad and, although it can be at times, many patients also really enjoy getting to know their radiation therapy team and appreciate being able to be honest and open with them.
“This includes laughing together or being more-light-hearted when they want to – which is probably more often than you’d think.”
For Otago tauira Ellen Emerson, who is in her second year of a BRT, building rapport with patients has been one of the most rewarding parts of her study.
“To be able to make that experience as positive as possible can make a huge difference to our patients and their families.” – Ellen Emerson
“We’re with our patients through a very stressful but important period in their treatment and sometimes, even as a student, I’ve been the most consistent member of the treatment team and have been able to build strong connections with them.
“To be able to make that experience as positive as possible can make a huge difference to our patients and their families,” Ellen says.
The BRT is taught from the Wellington campus of the University of Otago, next to Wellington Hospital, with students going on various clinical placements at cancer centres around the country during their study.
Ellen’s first-year placement was for two weeks in the radiation therapy department in Palmerston North, which was a great opportunity to immerse herself in the environment and be sure that radiation therapy was for her, she says.
“Then for the first semester of this year, I was on a placement in the Waikato radiation therapy department. We were involved in CT scanning and treating the patients.
“I absolutely loved working in the clinical environment and developed a good idea of what it will be like when I graduate."
One of the most surprising things for Ellen is how much she’s already learned during the course, especially while on clinical placement.
“It’s crazy to think back to what I knew when I started, compared to at the end of the semester that’s just been.
“It’s also been interesting to hear about some of the slightly different methods that my classmates learnt while on their placements, in the other radiation therapy departments across the country.”
Ellen chose to study RT after completing Health Sciences First Year in Dunedin, which she describes as a great foundation to build on. Though it has been a refreshing change to go from packed lecture theatres to small classrooms, she says.
“It’s super easy to ask questions and be involved in class discussions. All of our lecturers are easily accessible, happy to help us, and very supportive.”
Small class sizes have also meant students form close-knit friendships and can help each other with studying and with supporting each other through any challenges.
“Because the majority of the patients we’re training to help are dealing with a disease with variable outcomes and treatment regimens that can become all-consuming, it’s nice to be with a group of like-minded people so we can learn and deal with these experiences at the same time.”
Ellen will finish her qualification at the end of 2025 and hopes to then work as a radiation therapist in New Zealand for some time before potentially gaining experience overseas.
Otago alumna Cornelia Chan graduated with a BRT last year and now works as a radiation therapist in Wellington.
Finding a job in the industry was a straight-forward process for Otago alumna Cornelia Chan, who completed her BRT last year and is now working as a radiation therapist at Bowen Icon Cancer Centre in Wellington.
“There’s a workforce shortage of radiation therapists in the country at the moment, so there were more jobs than there were graduates,” Cornelia says.
The course prepared students well for entering the workforce, with the two six-month clinical placements in the second and third years of the course allowing them to establish working relationships and learn protocols in a supportive, supervised environment, she says.
“The second placement in the last six months of the degree was especially beneficial as it provided a seamless transition into working life.
“The papers we did during the degree were also quite specific to the job – we learned anatomy relevant to the areas we treat, and physics relevant to radiation.”
Cornelia, who always knew she wanted a career in health care, chose to begin the course straight from school because it combined her interests in biology, technology, and patient interaction within a three-year degree.
“The job was also really appealing to me – a health care profession with regular hours (no shift work), which involved helping people and getting to know them throughout their treatment journey.”
Like Ellen, having the chance to help treat patients and being involved with the hustle and bustle of a radiation therapy department were highlights for Cornelia.
“Also, it was fun having such a small class as it really meant we got to know one another. I met some of my best friends in my class and we were quite social – from studying together, BYOs, uni balls to even flatting together.
“I would definitely recommend the BRT to people. Radiation therapy is an awesome career to get into, and the course sets you up very well to do so.”
What to know about the BRT
Radiation Therapy Head of Department and Lecturer Kate Chadwick shares what the BRT is all about and why students should consider it.
Who does this course?
The BRT is an attractive option for school leavers as you can enter the program straight from school and be fully registered to practice at the end of the 3-year program.
We also have many applicants that are 1-2 years into an alternative course – for example a Bachelor of Science – who may have decided that they’d like to change to a more vocational program. Many applicants also study Health Science First Year and get a feel for all of the different health professional programs available to them before choosing RT.
We also have an alternative entry category that’s an option for those that might not fit into the other entry categories but are really keen to become a radiation therapist. If anyone thinks they might fit into that category they should get in touch with us in the department as soon as possible, so that we can make sure you’re applying under the right category.
What kind of personality, skills or area of interest best suits this course?
The tagline for the course is "Technology meets Caring", which really sums up the profession.
Because we’re working with cancer patients every day, we are caring and empathetic people and, unlike many other health professionals, we see our patients every day, often for a number of weeks, so building rapport with them and considering their holistic needs is really important.
It puts us in a unique position where we can advocate for them and help them to get the support they require from their multi-disciplinary health team, as well as directly helping them to manage their radiation therapy side effects.
Alongside this caring aspect, RTs are highly technically skilled and need to be adaptable to keep up to date with rapidly changing and improving technology, so a big focus of the program is practical, working with specific radiation therapy technology, both on-campus and during clinical placement in the clinical environment.
How do you prepare students for the harder side of the job?
Students have a lot of training to help them manage working with cancer patients and their whānau - there are specific papers in the program around health and human behaviour and healthcare communication.
As part of these papers, students prepare for clinical communication with scenario-based workshops and also have sessions with people with expertise on a range of helpful topics like palliative care and cultural safety.
Students are also placed into peer group supervision groups so that they have safe spaces to discuss their experiences with each other and have Year Convenors who are a contact person for pastoral care needs.
What are the job prospects like for graduates?
In Aotearoa there are currently a lot of jobs available for new graduates, with many clinical departments short staffed and keen to hire our graduates. Our degree is widely recognised internationally, and our graduates are highly sought after in many countries like Australia and the United Kingdom.
Although the program is highly specialised, after some clinical experience many of our graduates have gone on to work in other areas in healthcare, such as government, health informatics, equipment/technology development and sales and healthcare education.
*Find out more about doing a Bachelor of Radiation Therapy