MEDICAL PHYSICIST

Nature of Work

Clinical Setting Research Education

The Clinical Setting

Diagnosis Treatment Radiotherapy

Research

Current Hot Topics:

Cancer- Chemotherapy

Heart disease- CT scans

Mental Illness- Gamma Knife

Radiation Dosages Present in Foods

Updates in Radiation Technology

Education

Public Information Sessions Training Residents Post-secondary Teaching

Salary (based on national median salaries)

M.S. Degree: $115,000 PhD: $124,000 M.S. Degree w/ Board Cert.: $162,000 PhD w/ Board Cert.: $175,000

Employment Opportunities Research facilities Regulation agencies Universities Environmental Protection Agency OSHA Nuclear Technology Hospital Setting

Coursework: Fall Freshman Year (based on Bachelor of Science UNC-Chapel Hill curriculum)

Calculus II Mechanical Physics I Lifetime Fitness English Composition and Rhetoric A

Coursework: Spring Freshman Year

Calculus III Introduction to Electricity and Magnetism Economics Foreign Language Enhancement

Course English Composition and Rhetoric B

Coursework: Fall Sophomore Year

Differential Equations Modern Physics Western Civilization Philosophy

Coursework: Spring Sophomore Year

Advanced Mechanical Physics Numerical Technology Sociology English Literature

Coursework: Fall Junior Year Mathematical Methodology I Electricity and Magnetism I U.S. Diversity Course Electronics I Art, Music, Architecture, or Drama

course

Coursework: Spring Junior Year

Mathematical Methodology II Electricity and Magnetism II Quantum Mechanics Communications Course European History

Coursework: Fall Senior Year

Thermodynamics Advanced Laboratory I Quantum Applications African, Middle East, or Latin American

history course

Coursework: Spring Senior Year

Advanced Lab II Current Issues Experiential Education

Path to Becoming a Medical Physicist 4 years undergraduate school with a

Bachelors of Science Degree in Physics (course load outlined in previous slides)

4 years graduate school with a Masters Degree in Science or a PhD

5 years of experience in the field (usually a residency program or research project in the field of biophysics or medical physics)

Job Outlook

Every year, between 250 and 300 positions in medical physics become available.

This is a growth of 130% in the field. 50% of current medical physicists are

over the age of fifty, so there is a high probability that even more medical physicist positions will become available for students currently entering college.

Sources

http://aapm.org/medical_physicist/default.asp

http://medicalphysics.duke.edu/careers/demand.html

http://www.physics.unc.edu/academics/ugrad/bs.php

http://physics.nist.gov/MajResProj/Biophysics/biophys.html