Medical Physicists and Health Physicists

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Medical physicists and health physicists: Radiation occupations id you know that physicists help save types of physicists apply their disciplines are lives? Physicists aren’t found only in described below. D lecture halls and laboratories. Some use their knowledge of physics principles to Medical physicists work in medicine and health. Medical physicists combine an understanding Physics is the study of matter and energy of physics, specifically as it concerns radia- and the ways in which the two interact. Some tion, with an understanding of human biology. physicists use their expertise in physics to They are involved in the diagnosis and treat- focus on radiation. These specialists, called ment of patients, as well as in research and medical physicists and health physicists, work education. to help people or protect the environment. Medical physicists are concerned with the Medical physicists work with physicians, safe and effective use of radiological pro- assisting patients who need imaging technol- cedures—the application of radiation to the ogy and radiation treatment in hospitals and human body. These procedures are used to other medical facilities. Health physicists prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Examples protect people or the environment from the include medical-imaging technologies, such as potential hazards of radiation in a variety of X rays, and radiation therapy, in which radia- settings. tion is used to kill malignant cancer cells. Keep reading to learn more about these The application of radiation to the human two types of physicists. The first section body entails risk. For example, radiation describes what medical physicists and health that is used to kill cancer cells can damage physicists do on the job. The second section healthy cells, too. Medical physicists, work- provides information about employment and ing with other healthcare professionals, ensure wages. And the third section covers skills, the safety and effectiveness of radiological training, and certification. Sources for finding more information are at the end of the article. Jeffrey Physicists at work in LaPointe medicine and health Physicists devise theories and conduct research to further the knowledge of matter and energy. This knowledge may be used in practical applications, such as developing new technologies. Typically, physicists specialize in a particular subfield of physics, and some Jeffrey LaPointe physicists combine physics with other disci- is an economist plines in their work. in the Office of Medical physicists and health physicists Occupational are two such specialists who combine physics Statistics and with other disciplines. Because of their train- Employment Pro- ing in physics and human biology, medical jections, BLS. He physicists and health physicists understand can be reached radiation and its effects on the human body. at (202) 691-5013 Additionally, health physicists have expertise or lapointe. in how radiation interacts with the envi- [email protected]. ronment. The ways in which both of these

Summer 2011 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 17 procedures by verifying the appropriate type, medical physicists are responsible for ensur- dosage, and application of radiation to the ing that the technologists who operate medi- body. cal imaging equipment follow proper safety Physicists who help in medicine may be precautions and procedures. And to ensure employed at a hospital or other healthcare that medical images show clearly what is facility or in a solo or group practice for prac- being evaluated, these workers also review the titioner-clients. Medical physicists employed quality of the images. by a healthcare facility perform different Along with assisting in diagnosis, medical types of work depending on the facility’s size physicists involved in medical imaging may and on the number of physicists on staff. A help physicians in the treatment of disease. smaller facility may require physicists to work For example, some medical physicists might in a wider range of activities. use imaging technologies to guide neurosur- Medical physicists most commonly work geons during brain surgery. in one of three areas: diagnostic radiology, Therapeutic radiology. Most medi- radiotherapy, and nuclear medicine. Other cal physicists work in therapeutic radiology, medical physicists focus on research, teaching, also called radiation oncology. Therapeutic or consulting. radiology is the process of treating cancer by Diagnostic radiology. Medical physicists projecting high-energy radiation at targeted involved in patient diagnosis are concerned cancer cells to shrink and eliminate tumors. with technologies, such as magnetic resonance In this area, medical physicists work as part of imaging (MRI), that produce images of the an oncology team that implements a treatment body’s internal structure. These technologies plan. allow physicians to see abnormalities and to Medical physicists review plans developed monitor various processes, such as blood flow. by dosimetrists, workers who calculate the The medical physicist’s role is to ensure that amount of radiation to be used in treatment. such technologies are used both safely and Physicists verify that the treatment plans are effectively. safe and effective, based on their knowledge Medical physicists are often responsible of physics and human biology. for the equipment used in medical imaging. Like medical physicists involved in imag- This might include testing, managing inven- ing, those involved in treatment oversee the tory, and supervising the maintenance, repair, safe application of radiation. Duties include and calibration of equipment. Additionally, confirming that machinery is calibrated

18 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Summer 2011 correctly and delivering the correct dosage human body and the environment, and what of radiation. Additionally, medical physicists doses of radiation are dangerous. make sure that the patient is placed—and What health physicists do is determined, remains—in the proper position. in large part, by where they work. Nuclear medicine. Nuclear medicine is Hospitals. At hospitals and other medi- used for both imaging and treatment after cal facilities, health physicists help to protect patients have received small amounts of workers, patients, and visitors by ensuring that radioactive materials—called radiopharma- facilities using radiation sources are doing so ceuticals—whether orally, intravenously, or safely. These health physicists are responsible by inhalation. In imaging, special cameras for evaluating radiation safety procedures, detect the radiopharmaceuticals and display monitoring possible radiation exposure, and information based on biological changes that ensuring that the facility complies with gov- occur when disease is present. In treatment, ernment regulations on radiation safety. radiopharmaceuticals act specifically on the Nuclear power plants. A health physi- area being treated. cist at a nuclear power reactor may regularly As part of a nuclear medical team that review data related to radiation levels. These includes physicians and technicians, medi- health physicists also analyze laboratory cal physicists evaluate the physical aspects results to make sure that the reactor is operat- of nuclear medical applications. Medical ing safely and complying with federal regula- physicists use their knowledge of the possible tions. effects of radiation on patients and medical Other responsibilities include choosing personnel to develop accurate estimates for and maintaining equipment used to detect the lowest effective dosage. These physicists radiation and to protect workers and the envi- may also have expertise in interpreting images ronment from excessive amounts of radiation. and in analyzing data produced during admin- These physicists may help to train workers istration of nuclear medical procedures. or supervise technicians, chemists, or others Other areas. Medical physicists may also working at the reactor. Additionally, these participate in medical research, teach or train health physicists may also write emergency medical professionals, or work as consultants. plans and respond to radiation accidents. As researchers, medical physicists con- centrate in one of a variety of areas, including issues related to radioactivity, medical applications of computers, and developing imaging equipment and technologies. As educators, medical physicists instruct or train other medical physicists, medical students, and other healthcare workers who treat cancer. As consultants, medical physicists might participate in any of these activities or advise clients about issues related to medical physics. Health physicists Health physicists help protect people and the environment by ensuring that hospitals, nuclear power plants, and other industries use radiation safely. They may also work as instructors or train others in radiation safety. Like medical physicists, health physicists understand radiation, how it can affect the

Summer 2011 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 19 Employment and wages The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not collect employment and wage data for medical physicists and health physicists specifically. However, BLS collects employment and wage data for physicists as a whole. According to that data, in May 2010, there were about 16,860 physicists employed nation- wide—and they had a median annual wage of $106,370. That’s considerably higher than the median annual wage of $33,840 that BLS data show for workers across all occupations in May 2010. Data available from industry organizations provide employment and wage estimates for both occupations, but these data may not be precise. For example, the Health Physics Society estimates that there are more than 6,500 people working in health physics in the United States, a number that may include technicians and others in addition to health physicists. Skills, training, Industry. Health physicists who do environmental work might help decontaminate and certification areas affected by radioactivity. Their duties Both medical physicists and health physicists may include collecting environmental samples usually need at least a master’s degree in a and analyzing the samples in a laboratory to subject that demonstrates solid understanding detect radioactivity. of general physics. Generally, the more spe- Health physicists also work for regula- cialized their work, the more education they tory agencies that help to establish rules need. Jobs that are primarily technical usually for the manufacture, use, and disposal of have fewer training requirements. radioactive materials. In occupational safety, In addition to knowing physics, medical health physicists ensure that employers follow physicists and health physicists must under- safety requirements. Researchers study how stand the effects of radiation on the human radiation affects matter to establish radiation- body. Knowledge of other disciplines is also protection standards and to aid in designing required. radiation-detection equipment. Other requirements for medical physicists Education. Some health physicists teach. and health physicists differ. For example, Colleges and universities hire health physicists some states require licensing. And employers to instruct people or perform research or both. require all medical physicists and some health Health physicists may train other health physi- physicists to be certified. cists, medical personnel, nuclear plant workers, or others who need to understand the risks Medical physicists of radiation exposure—and how to prevent Medical physicists need to know biology, excessive amounts. physiology, chemistry, and electronics. And

20 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Summer 2011 because medical physicists work with physi- in libraries and career centers or online at cians and other medical staff, they should www.bls.gov/ooh. have good interpersonal skills. For information about medical physics Minimum educational requirements for and medical physicists, contact: medical physicist jobs usually include either American Association of Physicists a master’s degree or doctorate in physics, in Medicine medical physics, or a related field. This is One Physics Ellipse usually preceded by an undergraduate degree College Park, MD 20740 in physics, although some students’ bachelor’s (301) 209-3350 degrees are in other natural sciences or engi- [email protected] neering. After obtaining a graduate degree, www.aapm.org medical physicists complete a residency train- For information about the medical physi- eeship or a postdoctoral program at a hospital cist certification, contact the following organi- for 2 years. zations: Some states require licensing of medical American Board of Medical Physics physicists, and all employers require certification. Certification requirements vary by spe- P.O. Box 487 cialty but usually involve some combination Barker, TX 77413 of education, experience, and testing. Specific (281) 944-9482 requirements are available from professional [email protected] medical physicist organizations. www.abmpexam.com American Board of Radiology Health physicists 5441 E. Williams Blvd. Health physicists must learn biology, chem- Suite 200 istry, and electronics, along with mathemat- Tucson AZ 85711 ics and statistics, biochemistry, and genetics. (520) 790-2900 Depending on where they work, health physi- www.theabr.org cists may need knowledge in other areas, such American Board of Science in as air and water sampling techniques or medi- Nuclear Medicine cal and industrial uses of radiation. Health 3000 Spout Run Pkwy. physicists should also have strong analytical D-401 and communication skills. Arlington, VA 22201 Most health physicists have at least a mas- (571) 814-0227 ter’s degree, but not all jobs in professional health physics require one. Relevant studies [email protected] may be in health physics or in another scien- www.snm.org/absnm tific or engineering field that offers opportuni- For information about health physics and ties for gaining practical experience in radia- health physicists, contact: tion safety. Health Physics Society Not all employers require health physicists 1313 Dolley Madison Blvd. to be certified. But some employers, such as Suite 402 nuclear utilities, may either prefer or require McLean, VA 22101 certification for hiring health physicists. (703) 790-1745 [email protected] www.hps.org For more information And for information on the certification The Occupational Outlook Handbook of health physicists, see the American Board describes physicists in its profile “Physicists of Health Physics website at www.hps1.org/ and Astronomers.” The Handbook is available aahp/boardweb/abhphome.html.

Summer 2011 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 21