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by Michael Merrick. At One Physics, staying on the cutting edge of medical physics isn’t just a talking point, it’s something we continually work to prove. While any physics team can claim to follow new trends, our physicists actively participate in early-stage collaboration with technology partners, including companies like IBA Dosimetry. These relationships are not…

Staffing for radiation oncology physics and dosimetry is constantly changing and evolving. It happens slowly, and someone working in one center their entire career may never notice the subtleties that ripple across the industry, but there are national trends. Privately owned centers come and go, largely driven by Medicare reimbursement rules. Hospitals get nudged to…

Cool Stuff I love when I’m reminded of how cool our jobs are in radiation oncology. Like any job, physics and dosimetry can fall into a daily rut but we work with an amazing piece of technology on the forefront of modern science. As part of our membership in the AAPM, we all receive Physics…

Obtaining board certification is vital to a medical physics career, and the path to becoming a board-certified medical physicist is not an easy one.  The traditional route to board certification from the American Board of Radiology requires graduation from a CAMPEP-approved graduate program, completion of a 2-year residency, and passing three board examinations, each offered…

The locum market moves very quickly.  Understanding the process and the timing can help your department get the right person at the right time to fulfill your physics or dosimetry needs. Laying the ground work Our process starts with us having a call with you to find out more about your department.  Every department operates…

There is a disparity in resources between large institutions in major metropolitan areas and small rural facilities.  As the physics staffing shortage grinds on and changes the landscape of the profession, smaller rural facilities face hidden challenges as they try and come up with creative solutions. Stereotactic (SRS/SBRT) procedures have become the norm in our…

Summertime makes me think of radiation therapy.  Patients are lying down sometimes only covered up with a towel while the linear accelerator tans their skin with radiation.  Therapists make announcements like lifeguards blowing their whistles when their patients are misbehaving (moving).  Physicists and dosimetrists are like the parents who have painstakingly planned this whole trip…

Is there still a shortage of medical physicists? Yes!  2023 saw record shortages for physicists. More than 90% of radiation oncologists reported that their practices were facing clinical staff shortages and 80% said it was worse than the year before (ASTRO Survey 2023).  In the fall, we saw a bit of a reprieve in posted…

Radiation oncology departments need to be flexible to meet their patient needs. We schedule around patient’s availability, replan when needed, juggle appointments when the Linacs go down, and cover each other for PTO.  Each role in the radiation therapy department is singular and specialized.  Most departments have only one or two professionals in each job…

One of the great values we bring to the clinic as radiation therapy professionals is an independent objective view of the equipment and procedures.  As board-certified professionals, we are taught to always double and triple check every step of the planning and treatment process.  When I started my career, most therapy departments had a separate…