A medical physicist is a health professional with specialist education and training in the concepts and techniques of applying physics in medicine and competent to practice independently in one or more of the subfields (specialties) of medical physics. A medical physicist plays a fundamental role in applying physics to medicine, but particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The scientific and technological progress in medical physics has led to a variety of skills that must be integrated into the role of a medical physicist in order for them to perform their job. The "medical services" provided to patients undergoing diagnostic and therapeutic treatments must, therefore, be the result of different but complementary skills. In general, the medical physicist is responsible for all scientific and technical aspects of imaging, radiation treatment, and radiation safety. It is their occupational role to ensure that medical modalities offered to patients are met with the utmost quality assurance. It is the medical physicist that manage and supervise the efforts of dosimetrists, therapists and technologists in that capacity.

Education and training

Australia and New Zealand

The

Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine The Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM) is a professional organisation for medical physicists, biomedical engineers and allied professionals in Australia and New Zealand. The ACPSEM was first incorpor ...

(ACPSEM) is the professional body that oversees the education and certification of medical physicists in Australia and New Zealand and has a mission to advance services and professional standards in medical physics and biomedical engineering.

Europe

The presence of Medical Physicists at Expert level ('Medical Physics Experts') in healthcare in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

is required by the 2013/59/Euratom directive. The

European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics The European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics (EFOMP) was founded in May 1980 in London to serve as an umbrella organisation representing the national Medical Physics societies in Europe. It took just twenty-seven months from the f ...

(EFOMP) has defined a detailed inventory of learning outcomes for Medical Physics Experts in terms of Knowledge, Skills and Competences (the latter in Europe means 'responsibilities'). In Europe the professional preparation for Medical Physicists typically consists of a first degree in Physics or equivalent (e.g., biophysics, electrical or mechanical engineering, computing), a Masters in Medical Physics and a 2-year training Residency. The

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

has produced 'European Guidelines on the Medical Physics Expert'.

Finland

In Finland the qualification of medical physicist is comparable to specialisation of physicians. In contrast to many other countries, qualified medical physicist is considered as a post-graduate university education requiring a licentiate's degree or a PhD and a 5-year training residency.

United Kingdom

From October 2011 as part of the

Modernising Scientific Careers Modernising Scientific Careers (MSC) is a UK-wide government initiative to address the training and education needs of the whole healthcare science workforce in the National Health Service (NHS). The initiative won a Healthcare Innovation Award in ...

scheme, the route to accreditation as a medical physicist in England and Wales is provided by the Scientist Training Programme (STP). This scheme is a three-year graduate program provided by the National School of Healthcare Science. Entrants are required to have an undergraduate degree (first or upper second class honours) in an appropriate physical science prior to this three-year graduate program. The STP involves a part-time MSc in Medical Physics (provided by either King's College London,

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick unive ...

) in addition to practical training within the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

. Assessment is provided by the completion of competencies and by a final assessment similar to the

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

undertaken by other clinical staff. Completion of the STP leads to accreditation with the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) and registration as a Clinical Scientist. Prior to 2011 the training route in the United Kingdom was administered in two parts, and this scheme is still used in Scotland and Northern Ireland). Part I involved limited clinical experience and a full-time MSc in medical physics. Part II involved exclusively clinical experience in which the candidate would produce a portfolio of experience and submitted to the Academy for Healthcare Science which (in addition to a viva) would lead to professional accreditation with IPEM.

North America

In North America, medical physics training is offered at the master's, doctorate, post-doctorate and/or residency levels. A professional doctorate has also been recently introduced as an option. Several universities offer these degrees in Canada and the United States as well. As of October 2013, over 70 universities in North America have medical physics graduate programs or residencies that are accredited by ''The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs'' (CAMPEP).CAMPEP Accredited Graduate Programs in Medical Physics
Campep.org (2011-06-01). Retrieved on 2011-06-25. The majority of residencies are therapy, but diagnostic and nuclear have also been on the rise in the past several years. In the United States, professional certification is obtained from the American Board of Radiology (for all 4 areas) the American Board of Medical Physics (for MRI), the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (for Nuc Med and PET). As of 2012, enrollment in a CAMPEP-accredited residency or graduate program is required to start the ABR certification process. As of 2013, completion of a CAMPEP-accredited residency is required to advance to part 2 of the ABR certification process. In Canada, professional certification is obtained from th
Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine
(for all 4 areas and

Mammography Mammography (also called mastography) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer, typically through d ...

). Since 2016, eligibility requirements for Radiation Oncology Physics certification includes graduation and post-graduate training from a CAMPEP accredited institution.

International

There are regular regional and international educational medical physics activities. The oldest of these is the International College on Medical Physics at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy. This College has educated more than 1000 medical physicists from developing countries.

References

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External links

Human Health Campus, The official website of the International Atomic Energy Agency dedicated to Professionals in Radiation Medicine. This site is managed by the Division of Human Health, Department of Nuclear Sciences and ApplicationsCanadian Organization of Medical Physicist - Organisation canadienne des physiciens médicauxThe American Association of Physicists in Medicinemedicalphysicsweb.org
from the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

AIP Medical Physics portalUniversity of Toronto - Medical Biophysics DepartmentJournal of BiophysicsInstitute of Physics & Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) - UKEuropean Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (EFOMP)
* Professional physicist Professional certification in science