This year’s theme, “An Essential Part of Your Health Journey,” perfectly captures the impact our RTs have. They provide reassurance and comfort to our patients and their families, plan and deliver complex highly accurate treatments, and drive innovations shaping the future of cancer care.
Celebrating Radiation Therapists’ Week
This week mark’s Radiation Therapists Week, a time to spotlight our radiation therapists (RTs) across our global network and their incredible work delivering and advancing cancer care.
Their contributions reach far beyond patient care, strengthening Icon, our mission and the healthcare community.
Thank you to all our RTs for your dedication and hard work in delivering the best possible care. Read on to hear from some of our talented and dedcated radiation therapists and how they are improving cancer care.
Rose Coote
Charge Radiation Therapist | Icon Cancer Centre Mackay, Queensland
Creating meaningful connections
Personal connection and seeing radiotherapy treatment firsthand led Rose to become an RT.
I saw the impact I could make as an RT, not just through treatment but through the meaningful connections with patients. A memorable moment was a patient dressing up to mark ‘days left of treatment’ and on their final day, our team joined in costume to celebrate their journey. It was a small gesture which meant so much to the patient and it perfectly captures the impact we can make through connection. Interactions like this one keeps me passionate and inspire me to keeping making a difference in patients’ lives.
Enhancing the patient treatment journey
As part of the multidisciplinary team, Rose believes RTs enrich patient treatments.
RTs all bring unique skills, whether patient-focused or tech-driven, and combined this delivers the best possible care. In a regional centre, we play an even more crucial role, as we face more geographical barriers to accessing the healthcare system. RTs play an integral part in listening, supporting and learning from patients so that we can address their needs and empower them. Being a part of this journey and able to evolve the patient experience within my regional community is incredibly rewarding.
A commitment to advancement
With rapid advances in radiotherapy, Rose highlights the commitment to life-long learning
I like to reflect on my skills and identify gaps in my knowledge – enabling me to set goals and seek the guidance I need. This approach allows me to connect with advancements occurring and seize opportunities to improve, ensuring I can grow my skillset, and my patients can always receive the best care possible.
Cornelia Chan
Radiation Therapist | Bowen Icon Cancer Centre, New Zealand
Connection at heart
Cornelia’s passion for radiation therapy comes from her connection with patients.
Working as an RT is incredibly rewarding. I love spending time with patients throughout their treatment journey, getting to know and support people from all walks of life. It’s those moments where I get to connect with patients that stick with me, like during my second-year student placement patient interview. We never really get to sit down with patients and talk to them for that long, so that was extra special.
An essential part in patient care
As an RT, Cornelia plays an important role in the multidisciplinary cancer care team.
Our patient’s journey is often very multidisciplinary – involving different people and treatments. Radiotherapy is often just one part of that journey, but it’s a crucial one. Even in the challenging moments, I feel very privileged to be a part of every patient’s journey.
An ever-evolving career
Cornelia embraces the constant evolution of her field.
As an RT, you must adapt quickly to new technologies and methods. For instance, I learned set-ups with patient treatment tattoos while at university, but now with advanced treatments like SGRT (Surface Guided Radiation Therapy), I’ve had to rethink and adapt and learn more about this new cutting-edge technique.
I’ve learnt you need to be open to advancements and must continue to seek new and better ways to support patients – whether by going to conferences, reading articles or talking to other RTs.
Maddison Shaw
Radiation Therapy Manager | Icon Cancer Centre Geelong, Victoria
Connection through innovation
Working as an RT, Maddy loves blending patient care with cutting-edge technology
As an RT, I get to be extremely technical and build meaningful patient connections while working with the rapidly evolving technology – continually improving my patient’s treatment options. There is no better feeling than watching a tumour shrink before your eyes!
An experience that sticks with me was treating a young man with an SVC obstruction. The patient was induced and not expected to live much longer – radiotherapy was his last resort. But after numerous treatments the patient recovered. In this moment I saw how effective, and life-changing radiotherapy can be.
An essential part in patient care
Maddy sees RTs as a vital part of each patient’s treatment journey
Our role is ensuring patients feel comfortable, supported and confident in their radiotherapy treatments and act as a resource to make the patient journey as seamless as possible. I feel privileged to be there for people during a difficult time and be part of their journey.
Embracing a rapidly evolving field
Excited by the pace of change in radiotherapy, Maddy stresses the importance of adaptability.
When I began my career some of our machines still had shielding blocks and port films – so to witness the rapid evolution in technology in just over a decade is exciting.
There’s always something new to learn or improve, so to excel our care for patients we must embrace new tools and techniques and collaborate. I continue to push the boundaries through research and development projects – I am currently completing my PhD – and attending conferences or workshops to ensure I am always aware of the latest developments.
Nadine Wong
Radiation Therapist | Icon Cancer Centre Mount Alvernia, Singapore
Harnessing connection and innovation
As an RT, Nadine can make an impact on patients’ lives through being at forefront of patient care and technological innovation.
Witnessing the burden of cancer inspired me to pursue a career as an RT – allowing me to blend my interests in healthcare and technology and make an impact in a meaningful way. It’s the resilience of our patients that continues to fuel my passion; their strength gives me purpose daily. One memorable patient was one with an incredible spirit who wore patterned socks each treatment to bring some light to her circumstances. She gifted each team member a pair at the end of her treatment and her gratitude reminded me that our work is about more than technical skill—it’s about connection and support through difficult times.
More than treatment
Nadine emphasises that RTs do more than just ‘pushing buttons’, the role goes far beyond.
A RT’s role is dynamic – requiring you to use your hard and soft skills – operating complex machines while providing emphatic care. Radiotherapy is also not just a treatment – it’s a holistic and collaborative approach focused on maximising effectiveness and minimising side effects for the patient’s overall well-being.
Being a part of the patient journey
Nadine highlights the important part RTs play in a patient’s journey and the impact they make.
As an RT, I deliver precise radiotherapy while building rapport and providing clear communication to ease patient anxiety and enhance their experience. I’m grateful to offer comfort and support, helping patients navigate technical and emotional challenges. My work impacts their treatment outcomes and well-being – and being this crucial part in their journey gives me purpose and reinforces my commitment to compassionate care.
Embracing lifelong learning
In an ever-evolving field, Nadine says you must proactively engage in learning opportunities.
I stay engaged in continuous learning through courses with Icon, research, and conferences to integrate advancements into my practice. Collaborating with multidisciplinary colleagues further enhances my care. Embracing change keeps our practice innovative, ensures a high standard of care is maintained and keeps me motivated and engaged in my work.
Nathan Mauro
Senior Radiation Therapist | Icon’s remote planning team, Brisbane, Queensland
Opportunity to connect and innovate
Though a RT career wasn’t planned, Nathan always wanted to work with patients and tech.
What piqued my interest in a RT career was the opportunity to directly impact patient care and outcomes while using innovative treatments and technologies and working with a multidisciplinary team. What continues to fuel my passion is witnessing the significant difference we make. While we can’t always cure cancer, we can greatly enhance patients’ quality of life and ensure their remaining time is meaningful – managing their pain through radiotherapy treatment so they can spend more quality time with family.
The critical role of radiotherapy in patient care
Nathan hopes people continue to see the profound impact of radiotherapy treatments.
Some people have a misconception that radiotherapy treatment will make them ‘radioactive’ or ‘harm them’. I want more people to know how precise, personal and targeted radiation therapy is, with modern techniques resulting in excellent disease control while minimising potential localised side effects.
Making an impact from afar
Nathan and Icon Plan help make a significant impact on patients’ lives no matter where they are.
As an RT specialising in remote treatment planning, I play a pivotal part in a patient’s treatment, even if from afar. I ensure patients receive safe and effective care through treatment planning and work on various projects aimed at innovating radiotherapy and improving our services.
Though my role is behind the scenes, and the lack of face-to-face patient and team time can be challenging, it is just as fulfilling. I’m contributing to patient care and providing more access to modern technologies and specialised techniques regardless of their location.
The future of healthcare
Nathan believes the continuous innovations will accelerate patient care, but RTs must remain vigilant to maintain high-quality service.
Recent advances like AI contouring have greatly improved efficiency and saved time, while maintaining the highest level of precision radiotherapy and enables us to allocate more resources to enhance patient care. But to keep pace with these developments, we need to prioritise professional development through training sessions, conferences, and discussions with colleagues.
Our impact
Swipe right to view the global impact we’ve made over the last 12 months.
Committed to the future of healthcare
At Icon, we are committed to ensuring our teams have the support they need to continue making a lasting impact. This includes providing opportunities for development and growth, along with investing in the latest technology to empower everyone to enhance their skills, stay at the forefront of innovation, and continue delivering the highest quality care.
Whether our RTs are drawn to patient-centred clinical roles, driven by leadership ambitions, or are passionate about technological innovation, we offer the resources and support to help them take the next step in their career. Learn more about our RT Career Pathways.
About Icon Group
Icon Group is Australia’s largest dedicated cancer care provider and has expanded globally into New Zealand, Asia and the United Kingdom.
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