Chief Radiation Therapist

Creating Life Better Here starts with you. At San Juan Regional Medical Center, we're more than a healthcare provider—we're a values-driven organization dedicated to delivering exceptional care. As a team member, you help fulfill our mission to make life better here for our community.

The Chief Radiation Therapist is a highly experienced, motivated, energetic, selfless, compassionate lead professional and mentor whose observant consideration to detail ensures the treatment machine is operating smoothly, fully functional, on schedule, and treating according to plan. Their engaged communication and supportive interactions with the staff and patients are critical to sustain the restorative process for the patients and ensure proper departmental involvement.

Behaviors:

• As you go about fulfilling this mission, your work habits and work relationships should embody SJRMC's values. These values are our culture, our identity as an organization: Sacred Trust, Personal Reverence, Thoughtful Anticipation, Team Accountability and Creative Vitality ask more of us than merely completing some list of tasks. Our values ask for a deeper level of commitment, and what is asked of us we freely give because we believe in our mission.

Required Qualifications:

• Registered through the American Registry of Radiologic Technologist (ARRT) as a Certified Radiation Therapist
• Current New Mexico State license in Radiation Therapy
• Fluent in English

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum five (5) years experience as a Radiation Therapist in a lead role
• Current CPR certification

Duties and Responsibilities:

Treatment:

• Manage treatment machine schedule to assure it is adequately staffed
• Operates linear accelerator and or Superficial X-ray machine for the treatment of cancer patients
• Sets up and positions patients for their daily treatments as outlined in the patient care plan
• Schedules patients for their daily treatments
• Performs daily machine warm up and QA data checks
• Will be on call for any after hours (emergency)

Maintenance:

• In the event of a machine failure or change in the accelerator and CT/Sims performance, the Chief Therapist will contact the Physicist and the service engineer to coordinate repairs
• Will coordinate preventative maintenance inspections (PMI) with the vendor for the Varian accelerator and CT/Sim and inform the physicist and department manager as to when the PMI’s are scheduled
• Will keep the physicist and the department manager informed as to the working status of the accelerator and the CT/Sim at all times

Simulation:

• Schedules and maintains therapist staff rotation through CT/Sim
• Operates CT/Simulators
• Sets up and positions patients according to physician and or dosimetrist instructions
• Constructs special treatment aids and devices

Communication:

• Will inform the physicist, physician, and manager of any treatment machine issues and any interruption in patient care due to a machine failure
• Will facilitate weekly patient chart rounds
• Effectively communicates with staff and patients
• Informs the physician and/or nurse of any changes in the patient’s status during treatments
• Explain to the patient and/or family as to what will occur during the treatment process and answer any questions that may arise

Administration:

• Maintain daily documentation in the patient treatment record
• Maintain daily QA documentation
• Generate after hours call schedule
• Monitors and documents clinical training for therapy students
• Review technical charges and work with billing department to edit or make corrections
• Assure that all pertinent treatment information (signed consent, pathology, physician intent, physician and physicist signed treatment plan etc.) is in the patient’s record by performing a weekly chart check
• Will assume administrative responsibilities such as (supervision of clinical staff, Kronos, signing/approval and ordering of minor supplies) in the absence of the manager

Education:

• Maintains CEU’s as required by the ARRT and the State of New Mexico
• Attend patient care, quality assurance and departmental staff meetings

General:

• Each employee is responsible for implementing SJRMC’s Service Standards into their daily work:

                                                     Safety, Courtesy, Effectiveness, and Stewardship

• Other duties as assigned

Physical Demands and Environmental Work Conditions:

Physical Activities:

• All Cancer Center jobs may require lifting/pushing/pulling varying weights may exceed two hundred (200) pounds
• Activities may include intermittent or prolonged: standing, walking, sitting, talking, hearing, pushing, pulling, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching with arms and using the hands to handle or feel
• Repetitive motions may also be required, such as: wrist / hand movements, grasping, and finger dexterity (as in typing, writing, etc.)

Work Environment:

• The job requires exposure to the following conditions: risk of radiation, working near moving or mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles, risk of electrical shock
• The noise level may vary from very quiet to very loud

Sensory Requirements:

Hearing:

• Must be able to hear, alarms on equipment, fire alarms, overhead announcements.
• Patients/families verbal discussions.
• Instructions/feedback from other healthcare providers​

​Vision:

• Must be able to see: focus on close-up and distant objects
• Distinguish colors
• Have intact peripheral vision
• Depth perception (judge distance and spatial relationships)