TU-C-218-02: Effective Oncology Physics Education

The education of medical physicists has historically been quite varied and medical physicists have entered the field through several pathways including specialized educational programs, postdoctoral fellowships, and on-the-job training. It is argued that the contributions of viewpoints from different branches of physics has contributed to the development of novel solutions and advances in radiation oncology. However, there also has been an effort recently to make graduate education of medical physicists more consistent and uniform, particularly for the preparation of clinically oriented therapy physicists. The trend towards a more systematic approach has been guided in part by the requirements for graduate program accreditation developed by CAMPEP and by the requirements for medical physicist certification by the ABR. At the same time, there has been criticism of this approach as being too confining and guiding graduates toward a career as technicians rather than independent thinkers. Educational programs have had to balance the requirements of accreditation and certification against the goal of preparing students for careers as independent researchers. Three speakers will describe the approaches taken by their graduate educational programs to meet the requirements of CAMPEP and adequately prepare graduates for certification by the ABR, while maintaining a commitment to providing a comprehensive education in medical physics.

1. Understand the requirements for graduate program accreditation 2. Understand the education and experience requirements for certification 3. Learn the approaches taken by several graduate programs to meet the requirements for accreditation and certification while providing a comprehensive education in medical physics.