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- In Canada, certification is offered by the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM), in the following subspecialties: Radiation Oncology Physics; Diagnostic Radiological Physics; Nuclear Medicine Physics; and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Certification can also be obtained through the American Board of Radiology (ABR).
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In Canada, certification is offered by the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM), in the following subspecialties: Radiation Oncology Physics; Diagnostic Radiological Physics; Nuclear Medicine Physics; and Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Certification of competence in clinical medical physics is offered in four distinct sub-specialties: Diagnostic Radiological Physics; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Nuclear Medicine Physics; and Radiation Oncology Physics. Candidates declare their sub-specialty at the time of application.
- INTRODUCTION
- A. Clinical Service
- 1. Radiation Oncology
- 2. Diagnostic Radiology
- 3. Nuclear Medicine
- 4. Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- B. Radiation Safety
- C. Research and Development
- D. Teaching
- EDUCATION OF MEDICAL PHYSICISTS
- QUALIFIED MEDICAL PHYSICIST
- DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEDICAL PHYSICISTS
- A. Equipment Selection
- B. Facility Design and Shielding
- C. Acceptance Testing
- D. Commissioning
- E. Computer Systems and Networking
- F. Quality Assurance
- G. Safety
- H. Technique Development
- I. Teaching and Research
- J. Sub-Specialty Expertise
- 1. Radiation Oncology
- a) Treatment Planning Systems
- b) Imaging
- c) Absolute Dosimetry
- d) Treatment Planning
- e) Radiobiology
- 2. Diagnostic Radiology
- a) Accreditation of Equipment
- b) Equipment Purchasing
- c) Acceptance Testing
- d) Periodic Testing
- e) Safety
- 3. Nuclear Medicine
- a) Radioactive Sources
- b) Research and Development
- c) Safety
- d) Therapy
- e) Other Areas
- 4. Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- a) Pulse Sequence Development
- b) Spectroscopy
- c) High Field Imaging
- d) Interventional
- e) Advanced Imaging Procedures
- ACCOUNTABILITY OF MEDICAL PHYSICISTS
- VII. COMMITMENT TO QUALITY ASSURANCE
- MEDICAL PHYSICISTS MITIGATE POTENTIAL RISK
- WORKPLACE SETTING AND CULTURE FOR MEDICAL PHYSICISTS
- XI. LEGAL LIABILITY AND INSURANCE IN MEDICAL PHYSICS
- XII. REGULATION OF MEDICAL PHYSICISTS
Medical physicists are health care professionals with specialized training in the medical applications of physics. Their work involves the safe use of x-rays, radioactive materials, ultrasound, magnetic and electric fields, radiofrequency waves, infrared and ultraviolet light, heat and lasers in medical diagnosis and therapy. Most medical physicist...
Medical physicists are primarily responsible for a variety of clinical activities. Such activities include technique development, clinical consultation, facility design, optimal medical device performance through appropriate design, specification, acceptance, commissioning, testing, calibration, and troubleshooting, as well as regulatory complianc...
Radiation oncology physicists are responsible for optimizing and ensuring the accuracy with which radiotherapy treatment can be delivered. The roles of a medical physicist in radiotherapy include treatment planning, dosimetry, and medical device performance. Fulfillment of these roles entails detailed knowledge of information systems, mathematical...
Diagnostic radiology physicists are primarily responsible for the quality and safety of diagnostic imaging modalities such as Computed Tomography (CT), fluoroscopy, radiography, mammography and ultrasound. The roles of a medical physicist in diagnostic imaging include medical device specification, acceptance testing, quality assurance, protocol de...
Nuclear medicine physicists are responsible for many aspects of the management and use of unsealed radioactive sources for diagnosis and therapy including: medical device selection and performance assessment; design of planar, Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) image acquisition protocols; dete...
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) physicists work with MRI scanners and are responsible for ensuring optimal image quality, magnetic field shielding, properly functioning radiofrequency shielding, and safe practices, policies and procedures for areas near a strong magnetic field. MRI physicists also play an important role in the development of acqu...
Medical physicists have expertise in radiation safety. Although subject to additional assessment, Canadian regulatory bodies do recognize medical physicists who are certified by the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine as particularly suited to being Radiation Safety Officers for medical facilities employing radiation-emitting devices and rad...
In general, medical physicists play a central role in the design, construction, characterization, and optimization of imaging systems and radiotherapy treatment equipment. Research areas engaged by oncology physicists include the theory of radiation absorption and dose calculation, measurement of radiation dose, the use of heat and lasers in cance...
Many medical physicists hold academic appointments with universities and/or teach in graduate and undergraduate medical physics and physics programs. They also teach radiology and radiation oncology residents, medical students, medical physics residents, radiographers, radiation therapists and nuclear medicine technologists.
With very few exceptions, medical physicists in Canada have a graduate degree in medical physics, physics or a related discipline, with the majority holding a doctorate degree. For the radiation oncology sub-specialty, a further nominally two-year period of clinical residency or on-the-job training is required. In some provinces, the end of such ...
For the purpose of providing clinical professional services, COMP defines a Qualified Medical Physicist (QMP) as an individual who is competent to independently provide clinical professional services in one or more of the subfields of medical physics. The subfields of medical physics are: Radiation Oncology Physics Nuclear Medicine Physics Diagnost...
The exact duties and responsibilities of a medical physicist depend significantly upon the physicist’s sub-specialty but, in general, focus on the physics and instrumentation related to diagnosis and treatment. Medical physicists have detailed knowledge of how fundamental physical principles are applied to medicine and leverage that knowledge to d...
The medical physicist must have current knowledge of developments in medical devices and related equipment used within their sub-specialty, provide critical assessment of manufacturer’s claims, recommend selection of the best equipment to meet program requirements with the available resources, negotiate technical details with manufacturers, and spe...
Modern equipment for which medical physicists have responsibility has complex infrastructure and safety requirements. In siting new medical devices, a medical physicist must ensure appropriate accommodation for electrical power, ventilation, climate control, emission monitoring, shielding that ensures the proper functioning of equipment and/or pro...
Following installation of new equipment or upgrades to existing equipment, it is the responsibility of the medical physicist to perform a series of tests and measurements to verify that equipment performance meets the requirements of the purchase.
Medical physicists perform detailed measurements to completely characterize the operation of medical equipment. Measured data are processed and compiled in a form appropriate to facilitate routine clinical use of the equipment.
The modern imaging and therapy equipment for which medical physicists are responsible often relies on the transfer of large amounts of information between an assortment of commercial software operating on a variety of hardware platforms, such as Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS), information systems, control systems such as record...
Medical physicists establish and maintain ongoing comprehensive programs of quality assurance on all aspects of medical device performance. Medical physicists routinely perform a quality assurance review of equipment and system metrics with the goal of ensuring the intended use is safe, appropriate, and optimal for the patient.
The medical physicist is responsible for ensuring the safety of staff, patients, and the general public relative to any emissions arising from imaging or therapy equipment. Although, as mentioned in section II.B, certified medical physicists are recognized as being particularly suited to be Radiation Safety Officers (RSOs) for their institutions, ...
Clinical methods that medical physicists support are continually evolving with new technical capabilities necessitating a better understanding of the physics and biology pertinent to diagnosis and treatment of disease. Development, evaluation and clinical implementation of new techniques are part of the ongoing work of medical physicists.
Medical physicists are commonly involved in the teaching of undergraduate and graduate students in physics and medical physics. They also teach radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiation oncology residents, and radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy technologists. Many medical physicists have academic appointments at universities, hol...
In addition to the expertise outlined above, there are additional responsibilities explicit to the four sub-specialties of Medical Physics.
The principal focus for Radiation Oncology physicists is radiation treatment preparation and delivery processes, including medical imaging, treatment planning, dose calculation, patient immobilization, mechanisms of operation of treatment delivery devices, interactions of radiation with matter, and the biological response of cells and tissues to io...
Sophisticated computer systems are used to model the delivery of radiotherapy, in order to accurately predict the dose delivered during treatment and to help optimize the planned treatment. The medical physicist is responsible for understanding the algorithms used by planning systems, investigating and documenting their capabilities and limitation...
Radiotherapy has an increasing reliance on medical imaging information for diagnosis, staging, and planning of cancer treatment using radiation. CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluoroscopy, film and digital radiography, nuclear medicine, digital subtraction angiography (DSA), SPECT, PET, and other imaging modalities are routinely used. Medi...
Medical physicists using precise measurement equipment whose calibration can be traced to national measurement standards laboratories perform the calibration of radiotherapy equipment and radioactive sources. Medical physicists are experts in the quantification of ionizing radiation, and have current knowledge of the latest measurement protocols r...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
Currently medical physics is largely an unregulated profession in Canada, and there is little federal or provincial legislation defining the term “medical physicist” or restricting its use to persons with specific qualifications; however, the landscape is changing as individual provinces are successful in establishing professional associations and ...
CCPM certification is becoming widely accepted in Canada and other countries and is often required at senior levels in medical physics. DISCOVER. Certification. Individuals seeking certification from CCPM must meet certain requirements.
Sep 30, 2024 · COMP provides support at every stage of a medical physicist's career and is a resource for students, residents and practicing medical physicists. Career Publications
CCPM Membership - Written Exam - reading syllabus suggestions. Part I General Medical Physics (for all specialties) - Reading Syllabus. Part II Radiation Safety (for radiation oncology, diagnostic radiology, and nuclear medicine specialties) - reading syllabus.
Most medical physicists in Canada work in radiotherapy or diagnostic imaging departments in hospitals and cancer clinics. Medical physicists work in radiation therapy, both through the use of external beams and brachytherapy and in imaging with x-rays, ultrasound, PET, SPECT and MRI.
