Careers in Medical Physics: A Resource Guide
Provided to Janet Tate, Oregon State University Per kind favor of Miriam Lambert, M.S., Medical Physicist at NW Kaiser Permanente https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-lambert-b7396218 January 2016 Careers in Medical Physics: A Resource Guide Medical Physics Specialties
• Therapeutic (also called Therapy Physics) • Focuses on treating cancer with radiation (high energy x-rays, electrons, or protons). • Diagnostic (also called Imaging Physics) • Focuses on the diagnosis of cancer (CT scanners, MRI machines, low energy x- rays). • Medical Nuclear Physics • Focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer using radioactive isotopes. Therapy Physics
• Clinical and/or research work dedicated to the treatment of cancer. • In the clinic, work with radiation oncologists and therapy staff to treat cancer patients. • Commission and calibrate treatment machines, primarily electron or proton accelerators. • Do quality assurance to verify each patient is treated correctly. • Most work done during the day, but some evening and weekend work required. Diagnostic or Imaging Physics
• Clinical and/or research work dedicated to the diagnosis of cancer. • In the clinic, take responsibility for commissioning new CT scanners, x- ray, mammography, or MRI machines. Perform monthly quality assurance tests on each imaging machine to ensure high quality images while minimizing radiation dose to the patient. • Majority of routine work done during breaks or after hours. May require a greater amount of evening or weekend work than therapy or nuclear medicine physics. Medical Nuclear Physics
• The smallest branch of medical physics. • Clinical and/or research work dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer using radioactive isotopes produced in a nuclear reactor. • Most work at universities with clinical reactors. Medical Physicist Career Options
• University • Most positions require a PhD in Medical Physics – or a PhD in another field and a residency in Medical Physics. • Many research medical physicists split their time between research and hands-on clinical work. • The old “publish or perish” criterion still applies. • Clinic • Many positions do not require a PhD – a two year Master’s degree and a residency are just fine. • Lots of hands-on clinical work and routine QA. Very little time or resources are available for original research. • No pressure to publish unless you want to and can do research when the clinic is slow. • Industry • Very few positions require a PhD. • Some positions may only require a Bachelor’s degree in Physics. • ABR certification may not be necessary. • The work may more closely resemble engineering or programming than traditional physics research. • Opportunity to work on new technology without the hassle of grant applications! • Government • Many positions do not require a PhD. • Mostly regulatory work – writing new state or federal rules for radiation treatment or imaging machines. • Health Physics work – auditing clinics to verify they are operating within guidelines. Let’s Talk $$$
Average Medical Physicist Salary as of 2014
250
196.8 200 190.6 182.2 170.4 172.7
150 131.4 129.2 124.2
Thousand $ Clinic or University 100 Industry
50
0 Master's Junior PhD Junior Master's Senior PhD Senior Degree and Years of Experience Junior: 0 - 4 years Senior: 5+ years The Clinical (Non-Industry) Medical Physicist Career Path • Bachelor’s Degree in Physics (4 years) • MSc, PhD, or DMP in Medical Physics (2 – 7 years) • Residency (2 years) • Complete Part 1 of the ABR exam (in grad school or residency) • Get first job as a junior physicist • Complete Part 2 of the ABR exam • Complete Part 3 of the ABR exam • You are now an ABR certified medical physicist! • Enroll in Maintenance of Certification with the ABR (ongoing requirements for the rest of your career). Degree Requirements
• There are three graduate degree options for medical physicists • MSc (Master of Science) • Requires 2 years of graduate school • Allows you to work in most clinics • PhD (Doctorate) • Average 5 – 7 years of graduate school • Required to work in most universities • DMP (Professional Doctorate in Medical Physics) • 2 years graduate school + 2 year residency • Allows you to work in most clinics, but may not be acceptable for university positions ABR Requirements
• The American Board of Radiology (ABR) certifies medical physicists in the U.S. and Canada. In order to advance in the field, you must be ABR certified. The ABR requires that you: • Receive your degree from a CAMPEP accredited program • Complete a 2 year residency from a CAMPEP accredited program • Pass 3 exams over the course of six years from the time you finish residency • Part 1: written, covers a broad range of physics principles and also an anatomy exam. May be taken while in grad school or residency. • Part 2: written, focuses on medical physics rather than physics in general. Can only be taken after completing residency. • Part 3: oral, specifically deals with the branch of physics you’ve chosen to make your specialty (Therapy, Imaging, or Nuc Med). Can only be taken after passing Parts 1 and 2. CAMPEP
• The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) certifies that graduate programs meet certain standards in teaching medical physics.
• MAKE SURE the program you apply to is CAMPEP accredited! You cannot apply to take the ABR exam unless you graduate from an accredited program. A Partial List of CAMPEP Accredited Graduate Programs • Cleveland State University – Cleveland Clinic • Georgia Institute of Technology • Oregon State University / Oregon Health Sciences University • San Diego State University • University of British Columbia • University of Florida • University of Wisconsin • Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (offers a DMP program)
Check the full list of CAMPEP accredited graduate programs here: www.campep.org Residency
• The ABR requires a CAMPEP accredited residency for board certification, but it can be hard to get! • In 2015 there were more than 150 applicants for 117 total available residency positions. • There are 80 accredited Therapy Physics residency programs. • There are 11 accredited Imaging Physics residency programs. • There are only 2 accredited Nuclear Medicine residency programs (you may apply to an Imaging Physics residency and apply partial credit to the Nuc Med residency requirement) The DMP
• Since the ABR requires a residency anyway, why not combine your Master’s Degree and residency into one program? This is the DMP, or Professional Doctorate of Medical Physics. • Advantages • Guaranteed Residency. • Clinically focused, unlike a PhD which has a research focus. • Disadvantages • A new degree, not widely known to hospital administrators (i.e., the people who might hire you). • The ONLY currently CAMPEP accredited DMP program is at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Finding a Job or Residency
• The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) is your first, best resource. They publish a quarterly blue book (now electronic) that lists job opportunities for medical physicists of all stripes. They also have a link for a Residency Match program. You can join as a student if another medical physicist sponsors you. http://www.aapm.org • CAMPEP publishes a list of accredited university and residency programs. http://www.campep.org Jobs in Industry
If you’re ready to be done with school, working for a company rather than a university or clinic might be your preference. Here’s just a partial list of the many companies in health care, some big, some small, that employ physicists and engineers.
Varian Medical Systems Elekta BrainLab General Electric Phillips RaySearch Sun Nuclear Corporation Wellhofer LAP Laser PTW Mobius Medical Systems Student Resources
• Stay in touch with medical physicist students and trainees via the STSC blog, facebook, and twitter accounts. https://aapmstsc.wordpress.com/
• If you’re an undergraduate, consider applying for a summer internship in medical physics. In addition to the regular summer undergraduate fellowship program, women and minority students may be eligible for the DREAM program, which works to increase diversity in the field. Click the link and scroll to the bottom of the page. http://gaf.aapm.org/ GOOD LUCK!!!
It may take persistence, but you’re a physicist. You have that in spades. You can get a well paying job in a field that’s personally and professionally rewarding, and whether in industry, research, or the clinic, you can make a real difference. Believe in yourself, and don’t give up. It will happen.