Staff/Sr. Medical Dosimetrist (Pinnacle)

Staff/Sr. Medical Dosimetrist

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is internationally recognized for its leadership in the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer and is the region's only comprehensive cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute. As the preeminent institution in western Pennsylvania for the delivery of cancer care, the performance of basic, translational, and clinical research, and the education of the next generation of cancer researchers and physicians, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is exceptionally well-positioned to contribute to the global effort to reduce the burden of cancer.

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is currently hiring for a regular Full-Time Staff/Sr. Medical Dosimetrist to join our team in the Central Region of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Network. The dosimetrist in this position will be based out of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at UPMC Pinnacle in Harrisburg, PA, and will provide planning services for Harrisburg and other clinics in the region as needed. This role offers a hybrid work arrangement with on-site duties, work-from-home capability, and will work a regular Full-Time schedule Monday through Friday.

This position joins several other medical dosimetrists dedicated to this department/Central Region and a larger team of 40+ dosimetrists across the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Network. Collaboration and remote support across the group is facilitated by our integrated Varian equipment ARIA/Eclipse (version18) and Citrix-based IT infrastructure, as well as standardized policies, procedures, and care pathways across UPMC.

The medical dosimetrist is responsible for generating clinically optimal treatment plans for radiation therapy patients in collaboration with radiation oncologists, radiation therapy technologists, and medical physicists. This includes participating in CT simulation, radiation treatment planning, quality management for radiation oncology patients, and communicating with the clinical team during treatment planning and treatment plan implementation. Treatment techniques include 3DCRT, IMRT, VMAT, SBRT, SRS and motion management (e.g., respiratory gating and DIBH).

We offer a Dosimetry career ladder which allows our staff to grow within the field at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. The incumbent will be placed into the appropriate level of our Dosimetry Career ladder based on education and experience.

Staff/Sr. Dosimetrist salary range between $50.20/hr. to $79.83/hr. Sr. level requires three (3) years of post-graduate clinical medical dosimetry experience.

Responsibilities:

• Generates clinically optimal treatment plans utilizing knowledge of anatomy and physiology, radiation biology and oncology, radiation safety and protection, mathematics, radiation therapy techniques, physics, and technology.
• Communicates with the radiation oncologist during the treatment planning process and participate in communicating the plan to the medical physicist and radiation therapy technologists for plan implementation.
• Maintains a commitment to a high degree of accuracy, attention to detail, and safety.
• Utilizes critical thinking skills when performing radiation treatment planning, plan evaluation, recognizing and resolving equipment problems and treatment discrepancies.
• Ensures accurate data transfer of patient and treatment plan information to clinical systems including but not limited to record and verify systems, imaging guidance systems, surface guidance systems, treatment delivery systems, and electronic medical record systems.
• Participates in acquisition of patient data via computer generated data sets from medical imaging devices such as CT, PET, MR, etc., or manual methods such as physical measurements and wire contours, and incorporation of these data into radiation treatment plans, calculations, and treatment devices.
• As needed assists the RTT in the treatment simulation process including the use or necessity of ancillary treatment devices, patient immobilization techniques, and other patient positioning techniques as needed for simulation and treatment.
• Contours and delineates clearly discernable normal critical structures and expanded planning structures using different imaging modalities.
• Performs rigid and deformable image registration for multi-modality image sets.
• Applies the principles and concepts of radiation physics in radiation treatment planning, which includes, but is not limited to: 2D treatment planning, 3D conformal treatment planning, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning, 4D treatment planning, volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) planning, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) planning.
• Accurately performs 2nd check radiation dose calculations, computer generated, for treatment delivery.
• Participates in quality management in accordance with departmental policies, national guidelines, and accreditation standards.
• Performs routine chart checks per departmental policy.
• Participates in charge capture and generates documentation for billing in accordance with departmental policies.
• Participates in clinical research for the development and implementation of new techniques in radiation therapy.
• Participates in educational activities such as providing instruction and training to new staff members, RTT trainees, and medical dosimetrist trainees.
• Maintains an atmosphere of caring, concern, and support for patients, visitors, medical staff, and colleagues.
• Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as directed by supervising medical physicists.
• Adheres to high ethical standards in relation to patients, students, trainees, and colleagues.
• *Performs in accordance with system-wide competencies/behaviors.
• *Performs other duties as assigned.

• B.S. degree in sciences or equivalent experience and training in radiation therapy.
• Formal training in Medical Terminology/Anatomy/Tumor Biology/Radiation Graduate from a recognized Medical Dosimetrist Training Program or equivalent clinical training.
• Experience with conformal radiotherapy, 3-D treatment planning systems required, radiosurgery on IMRT highly desirable.
• 2 years working as a Medical Dosimetrist preferred.
• Experience with MicroSoft Office products preferred.
• Certification by the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board strongly preferred or equivalent experience.

UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran