Medical Physicist
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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 Medical physics deals with the application of the concepts and methods of physics to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases with a specific goal of improving human health and well-being. Since 2008, medical physics has been incl ...
. 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 Medical physics deals with the application of the concepts and methods of physics to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases with a specific goal of improving human health and well-being. Since 2008, medical physics has been incl ...
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 (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 union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
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. The office moved to Utrecht in January 2021 ...
(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 primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
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.


Syrian Arab Republics

In 2013, Damascus University instituted a Master's program in Medical Physics, which has significantly contributed to the training of numerous medical physicists across various university and local hospitals, as well as several universities within the Syrian Arab Republic. This program has facilitated the dissemination of knowledge through the publication of several external research articles addressing the role of medical physicists in oncology. Furthermore, it has resulted in the production of multiple academic textbooks in the field of medical physics.


United Kingdom

From October 2011 as part of the Modernising Scientific Careers 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 King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
,
University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...
or
Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...
) in addition to practical training within the
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
. 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 a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...
undertaken by other clinical staff. Completion of the STP leads to accreditation with the
Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) is the United Kingdom's professional body and learned society for physicists, engineers and technologists within the field of medicine, founded in 1995, changing its name from the Insti ...
(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 North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, medical physics training is offered at the master's, doctorate, post-doctorate and/or residency levels. A
professional doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
has also been recently introduced as an option. Several universities in Canada and the United States offer these degrees. 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 Established in 1934, the American Board of Radiology (ABR) is an independent, not-for-profit professional association with headquarters in Tucson, Arizona. It oversees the certification and ongoing professional development of physician specialists ...
(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; DICOM modality: MG) 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 cance ...
). Since 2016, eligibility requirements for Radiation Oncology Physics certification includes graduation and post-graduate training from a CAMPEP accredited institution.


Russia

The Association of Medical Physicists in Russia is organized and operate

Teaching of medical physics is carried out at
Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...
,
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT; , also known as PhysTech), is a public university, public research university located in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It prepares specialists in theoretical physics, theoretical and applied physics, ...
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Kuban State University.Physics (Medical Physics) Faculty of Physics and Technology of KubSU, Direction code: 03.04.02, Master's degree program
/ref> The scientific journal "Medical Physics" is publishe


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 The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) is a research center for physical and mathematical sciences, located in Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The center operates under a tripartite agreement between the Gov ...
(ICTP), Trieste, Italy. This College has educated more than 1000 medical physicists from developing countries.


See also

* Clinical laboratory scientist *
Healthcare scientist A healthcare scientist or medical scientist is a scientist working in any of a number of health related disciplines. Healthcare scientists may work directly for health service providers, or in academia or industry. Healthcare scientists typically r ...
* List of publications in physics: Biophysics and medical physics * Modernising Scientific Careers *
Physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
* European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics (EFOMP)


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 not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, physics research, research and applied physics, application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide ...

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