TAIZO: WHEN IT COMES TO THE
DIE KNOW
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF
CANCER WE'VE COME A LONG WAY.
RADIATION IN PARTICULAR HAVE
UNDERGONE MANY ADVANCES.
JOINING US TO HELP US UNDERSTAND
THE ROLE OF MEDICAL DOCIMITRIST,
DID I SAY THAT RIGHT?
CORRECT.
TAIZO: THE GREAT THING ABOUT
YOU, YOU WORK TOGETHER WITH A
TEAM.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THAT TEAM AND HOW THEY ALL WORK
TOGETHER?
WE ALL HAVE TO COLLABORATE
WITH EACH OTHER ON THE
TREATMENT.
THE DOCTOR PRESCRIPTION THE
RADIATION.
HE WILL CONTOUR OUT THE TUMOR ON
THE CT SCAN.
WE WORK IN COLLABORATION WITH
THE THERAPIST TO MAKE SURE THE
PATIENT IS IN A REPRODUCIBLE
POSITION AS WELL AS SOMETHING
THAT CAN WORK FOR THE TREATMENT
PLAN AS WELL.
TAIZO: AND YOU'RE CRITICAL AS
A DOCIMETRIST.
WHAT IS A MEDICAL DOCIMETRIST?
IT'S PART OF THE TEAM.
WE ARE SPECIFICALLY THERE TO DO
THE PLANNING FOR THE RADIATION
TREATMENT.
WE'RE BEHIND THE SCENES.
THE DOCTOR WILL PRESCRIPTION THE
RADIATION.
WE FIGURE OUT HOW TO DELIVER
THAT WITH LIMITING THE DOSE.
TAIZO: I WAS LOOKING AT SOME
INFORMATION.
THERE'S NOT MANY DOCIMETRIST
WORLDWIDE.
RIGHT.
THE CERTIFIED MEDICAL
DOCIMETRIST, THERE'S ONLY ABOUT
FOUR THOUSANDS WITH 93%N THE
U.S.
MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT A
DOCIMETRIST IS.
VERY FEW PEOPLE.
TAIZO: WE'RE SO LUCKY TO HAVE
YOU.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE
QUALIFICATIONS THAT ARE REQUIRED
TOBROOK A
BECOME A DOCIMETRIST?
WHAT IS IT?
YOU HAVE TO HAVE REALLY GOOD
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND A
GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF RADIATION
PHYSICS.
TAIZO: AND THAT'S TWO AMAZING
TASKS THERE.
WE ALSO HAVE TO BE VERY GOOD
AT SEEING CT SCANS, IDENTIFYING
ORGANS SO WE CAN DELINEATE
THOSE.
SO WE CAN USE THOSE IN THE
PLANNING PROCESS.
TAIZO: YOU'RE WORKING WITH
CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY.
YOU AND I WERE CHATTING BEFORE.
THE SCHOOLING.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
DID YOU KNOW THAT'S WHAT YOU
WANTED TO BECOME OFF THE BAT?
NO.
I DIDN'T.
LIKE MOST PEOPLE, I DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT AS DOCIMETRIST WAS.
I WAS A RADIATION THERAPIST FOR
ABOUT FOUR YEARS.
THAT IS SO HOPEFUL IN BEING A
DOCIMETRIST.
TAIZO: WHY DO YOU THINK
THAT'S HELPFUL?
AS A DOCIMETRIST, IF YOU HAD
NOT EXPERIENCE BEING A
THERAPIST, YOU MAY NOT KNOW WHAT
IS DOABLE WITH THE MACHINE.
OTHERWISE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT A
COMPUTER.
YOUR COMPUTER CAN DO ANYTHING
BUT THE MACHINE HAS LIMITATIONS.
BEING A THIRD THERAPIST FIRST HELPS YOU.
TAIZO: BEING A DOCIMETRIST
AND ALL THE TECHNOLOGY AND ALL
THE GREAT THINGS, THERE'S A LOT
OF STUDY THAT YOU HAVE TO KEEP
UP EVERY DAY.
IS THAT TRUE?
ABSOLUTELY.
WE ARE REQUIRED TO KEEP UP WITH
CONTINUING EDUCATION TO HOLD ON
TO OUR CERTIFICATION.
OUR FIELD IS EVER CHANGING.
IT HAS CHANGED SO MUCH WHEN I
FIRST BEGAN DOING THERAPY.
TAIZO: IT'S SOMETHING YOU GOT
TO KEEP UP.
I GOT TO ASK YOU WHAT HAS DRAWN
YOU TO THIS JOB?
THIS IS A FIELD -- WHAT KEEPS
YOU GOING?
IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT FIELD.
MOST PEOPLE ASK, HOW CAN YOU
WORK IN A DEPRESSING FIELD?
TO SEE THE CHANGES AND REWARDING
OUTCOMES OFTEN IS VERY
COMFORTABLE.
I HAVE ALSO, AS MOST PEOPLE
HAVE, HAD EXPERIENCE WITH FAMILY
MEMBERS OR FRIENDS THAT HAVE HAD
CAN.
CANCER.
TO KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO
KNOW HOW YOU FEEL AND THEY WANT
YOU TO HAVE THE SAME OUTCOME.
TAIZO: I'M GLAD YOU'RE
SHARING THAT.
THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOU SO GREAT.
YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE.
AND MOST IMPORTANT THINGS, YOU
WANT TO MAKE EVERYBODY BETTER.
THAT SO MUCH.
I LEARNED SO MUCH TODAY.