Will AI replace radiation therapists?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 1h 31m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 6h 29m (81%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2.8% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 2 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 1h 31m of a typical shift. 5 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 5 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Administer prescribed doses of radiation to specific body parts, using radiation therapy equipment according to established practices and standards. (1h 13m a shift; e.g. CyberKnife image-guided robotic radiosurgery, in use)
• Photograph treated area of patient and process film. (18m a shift; e.g. CyberKnife (Accuray), in use)

6h 29m of a typical shift, or 81%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Position patients for treatment with accuracy, according to prescription. (1h 25m a shift)
• Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage. (36m a shift)
• Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification. (30m a shift)
• Maintain records, reports, or files as required, including such information as radiation dosages, equipment settings, or patients' reactions. (30m a shift)
• Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation. (24m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 100% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 90% say a mistake would be very or extremely serious
• 87% are exposed to disease or infection every day

On Indeed, job postings in the Therapy sector are at 188% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 3.2% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 700 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $105,310 a year ($50.63 an hour), 107% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $80,560 and $156,710 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 2.8% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 18,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 700 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 17,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 576th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 18,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is an associate's degree: about 50% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h 29m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: eClinicalWorks EHR software, Eclipse IDE, Epic Systems, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Respiratory Therapists (0m touched, $82k median pay)
• Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (0m touched, $97k median pay)
• Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians (57m touched, $74k median pay)
• Radiologic Technologists and Technicians (57m touched, $80k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 with robots in real deployments, 20 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.