Question: Do you ever get emotionally attached to the patient? Also, is it hard to cope or are you able to see it as just a job?

Rob Brass answered on 24 Jun 2016:

Hi Sarah!

A lot of the time I wont actually get to meet the patient, they’re actually treated by radiographers, we do all the background work. I do get patient contact on occasions though and to be honest I think I’ve become a bit hardened to it. When you’re constantly walking past and speaking with cancer patients it becomes almost normal! We often treat children though, as young as 1 year old, and a physicist is often heavily involved in their treatment to make sure everythings safe. That can be really hard as what could a 1 year old baby possibly have done to get cancer? And dealing with the parents when theyre obviously upset can be really hard too!