Radiation Oncology in Minnesota

Team Professionals

Under the leadership of Mayo Clinic physicians, patients experience care from therapists, nurses, dosimetrists, physicists, and other support staff who efficiently deliver effective treatments. The team includes more than 100 people working together to develop treatment plans for each patient.

Radiation Oncologist
A radiation oncologist is a physician who has received advanced training in radiation oncology after completing medical school and an internship. All of the radiation oncologists at Mayo Clinic are certified in Radiation Oncology by the American Board of Radiology. These physicians evaluate patients and determine whether radiation therapy is appropriate to treat the cancer. Then the radiation oncologist prescribes the treatment and directs the team that delivers the therapy. The radiation oncologist monitors the patient's progress during treatment and manages any side effects of the treatment. This physician can also be involved in the follow-up care of the patient after the completion of treatment.

Radiation Therapist
A radiation therapist administers the radiation treatments prescribed by the physician. During each treatment, the therapist positions the patient correctly on the treatment machine and directs each radiation beam to the area designated in the plan.

Nurses
A nurse works closely with each radiation oncologist, assisting with patient care and helping address questions and concerns that patients have during treatment.

Dosimetrists
Working under the direction of the radiation oncologists and physicists, a dosimetrist helps plan the details of each patient's treatment. Using a computer, the dosimetrist calculates the best way to deliver radiation to the target while minimizing the dose to nearby healthy tissues.

Physicists
Physicists measure the radiation beams and provide the data used to plan the treatments. The physicist ensures that the treatment machines operate safely, accurately, and consistently. Frequently physicists work with radiation oncologists and dosimetrists to plan and verify special treatments, and they participate in research and development of new treatment techniques. The physicists at Mayo Clinic are all certified by the American Board of Radiology and/or the American Board of Medical Physics in the Physics of Radiation Oncology.