Nuclear Medicine Technologist vs Radiation Therapist

[2xq]

Literally what the title says lmao. anyways ill just post crow's reply along with this thread.

I've had a look at the joboutlook.gov.au page and looked both occupations up. Their employment sizes are quite small (710 NMT, RT 1900) however, it does mention that there is a strong future growth in both of these areas. With that being said, Both seem to pay well and both are 4 year degrees at uni. My interests in medical physics and it's applications did guide me to these options however, unsure on whether it is a viable alternative degree to study and get a job after graduating. Any opinions/insights will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Crow]

I’ll underline the employment prospects part, as I have a feeling they’re not great at all in those areas (not my field though so have a look yourself). Have you researched what the careers entail? It’s hard for us to answer these sorts of questions when we don’t get given any information about what draws you to these degrees etc.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Just seconding the last part of @crow’s reply; it’s really impossible for us to meaningfully comment on questions like this which are essentially ‘career 1 vs career 2 lmao’ and no further information.

Given the vast majority of us are either Med or Dent students, we’re rarely going to be able to offer much technical insight, and so unless we have an idea of your motivations, strengths, interests, ideas, it’s pretty meaningless.

And, tbh, it also feels a bit lazy to throw two things out there and expect others to do your research for you. It’s far more useful, and you’re likely to get more engaged replies, to present ‘career 1 I’ve investigated and like x y z about but am worried about a b c, compared to this other option that has better career prospects’, etc.

 

[threefivetwo]

Job Outlook: Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Job Outlook: Medical Radiation Therapists

Radiology Jobs in Australia: The Trends in Medical Imaging 2020

The Trends in 2020 for Radiology Jobs in Australia with the Jobs Outlook, Salary Pay Rates and the Industry Trends impacting Radiology and Medical Imaging.

blog.gorillajobs.com.au

Some relevant links that you could perhaps look into.
There's not much in the way of real data on unemployment rate that I can find - there's modelling and future growth prospects, but that ≠ hard data.

 

[2xq]

just edited the post slightly to incorporate the advice given

Job Outlook: Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Job Outlook: Medical Radiation Therapists

Radiology Jobs in Australia: The Trends in Medical Imaging 2020

The Trends in 2020 for Radiology Jobs in Australia with the Jobs Outlook, Salary Pay Rates and the Industry Trends impacting Radiology and Medical Imaging.

blog.gorillajobs.com.au

Some relevant links that you could perhaps look into.
There's not much in the way of real data on unemployment rate that I can find - there's modelling and future growth prospects, but that ≠ hard data.

funny u mention those websites, i literally looked at those when i was editing my post

 

[threefivetwo]

Well, good pay and strong prospects for future growth in the job market are excellent things to consider, but I'm wondering if you've looked into what the two careers involve on a day-to-day basis and future opportunities for career development. A lot of careers can be viable alternatives to Medicine if they align with your interests and goals, but would you be happy doing it as a daily job and perhaps for the rest of your life?

Some other salient factors to consider that I can think of could be job culture, employment locations (i.e. is there a shortage in rural areas vs. metropolitan hospitals?).

 

[2xq]

Well, good pay and strong prospects for future growth in the job market are excellent things to consider, but I'm wondering if you've looked into what the two careers involve on a day-to-day basis and future opportunities for career development. A lot of careers can be viable alternatives to Medicine if they align with your interests and goals, but would you be happy doing it as a daily job and perhaps for the rest of your life?

Some other salient factors to consider that I can think of could be job culture, employment locations (i.e. is there a shortage in rural areas vs. metropolitan hospitals?).

yeah i looked roughly on seek and theres not many openings however, things may be different at the end of 2024/start of 2025? it seems like a massive gamble.
on a different note tho, i do have radiography open as an option. all 3 align well with med physics and so would be considering these 2 as alternative options to diag radiography. not sure where to go on with this tho. i have one slot left on my uac preferencing and would love to actually decide on one