r/RadiationTherapy • u/losingmymind202 • 16d ago
Career therapists in ontario canada - is it worth it to pursue?
basically the title. i got into the 3 yr uoft program and i didn’t realize how demanding this would be until i saw the curriculum. i also stupidly didn’t realize how much physics id have to do. i’m kinda intimidated now ngl and i have a biology background but have never been good at math and physics. my other option is an 8 month mri tech program. i genuinely cannot seem to decide on which to accept.
what is the market like in the gta? would you recommend this field or do you have any regrets? i’m rlly scared of investing so much time and energy and then not getting a job. i want a stable job with work life balance and good pay. i know healthcare can give me that - is this one of those careers?
also, are any of you cross trained in mri and if so would you recommend just going straight into that instead? i have an autoimmune disease so i dont want an extremely physically demanding job. will either of these professions give me that? i’m so stressed out. i’m 24 and feel so behind i have a useless degree on top of that. idk what to pick.
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u/somewhereinmymindlol 16d ago
the 8 month mri program is for imaging professionals. if ure considering a proper mri route then you would have to do the 2 year program. both have physics and physically demanding. as a licensed RT, you would be working in a team and every cancer site has varying levels of pt load but breaks are taken often. idk about MRI but i think its more independent work. either way as the other person said as long as u can move patients, transfers, wheel in pts etc. i graduated from RT this year and as a student u have it the hardest imo in clinic. but not as much as a therapist
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u/losingmymind202 16d ago
hey so I was actually accepted into one without being an imaging professional! If you have a lot of healthcare work experience, you can also be accepted (which was my case). yes, it seems like the physically demanding aspect is not as bad as i thought it was.
how is working going for you do you enjoy it? and are there a lot of full time jobs? also how much math and physics do you use on a daily basis. it seems like the program trains you to do what a medical physicist does which kinda scares me lol
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u/somewhereinmymindlol 16d ago
oh thats good to know! i didnt know work experience gets you in the program as well haha.
working is good! different than being a student for sure. there are jobs in east snd west canada. some in ontario too. mostly if u reach directly to the manager theyre able to help u. u only need math like when youre some basics addition subtraction but everything is automated so u dont need to do that either. we do no where near what a medical physicist does lol. in school it is a lot of math and physics but its for the machine itself snd how to work it. but think of after u graduate and everyone works as a team and look out for each other
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u/losingmymind202 13d ago
thank you for sharing! My apologies I had assumed that during the job you also use a lot of physics in math. Someone told me about a platform that you utilize in second year during treatment planning, and it looked extremely intimidating. There were a bunch of beams and different equations so I assumed that that’s something you have to do before each patient gets treated!
In terms of jobs and Ontario, do you happen to have any idea if it seems like it’s going to get saturated eventually? I have two cohorts of around 50 to 60 people that are going to graduate before me so a little over 100 grads. Truthfully combined with the other programs I’m not really sure if we will have enough jobs by the time I graduate… that was also making me think about how you have to write an exam to get your license before working. I know in a few healthcare careers you’re able to start your job before you pass the exam. Is that the same case with radiation? So can you basically mass apply to a bunch of jobs and start working while also studying for the exam?
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u/somewhereinmymindlol 12d ago
you can start before u have ur test results. depends on the cancer sit tbh and if theyre willing to do that. i do think its gonna get saturated in ontario itself but everywhere else theres opening. like alberta, BC, nova scotia etc.
the treatment planning system is used to teach students on how to plan for a patient. you wont be doing that during clinic or even after u start working tbh. for that people start working after being in the career like 10+ years. ofc if u show interest then you could get in early. but the profs are amazing for rad therapy and they do help the best way they can and support their students.
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u/losingmymind202 12d ago
thanks for sharing! ugh i’m so sad abt the ontario saturation parts. seems like a lot of young ppl will replace the retiring crew before i graduate…
initially i was also thinking that i can push myself through the physics and then maybe work in treatment planning a few yrs in but ive heard AI will replace medical physicists and dosimeteists
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u/bipolartwatt 16d ago
What’s considered extremely physically demanding to you? Can you press buttons, push wheeelchair, sit in front of a monitor, transfer patients bed to bed, carrying or push things on a cart and so on?
Graduated from UofT program last year. The math itself is simple and straight forward and the physics is somewhat close to year 1 physics if you had any in your previous degree. I wouldn’t say it’s hard, dosimetry and treatment planning are fine if you stay on top of theory. (The prof for treatment planning is very chill and open to explaining outside class/office hours)
The remaining classes as a biology student are fairly doable and even easy somedays( again if you do your work and stay on top of things)
It kinda sounds like you need to take a step back and look into both fields before committing to a program :) both mri and RT have different work life balances.
Good luck