Abstract
The pathway to becoming a qualified medical physicist (QMP) in the imaging physics disciplines includes several certification organizations. Imaging QMPs play an essential role in the safe practice of the diagnostic disciplines, and their qualifications are necessary for compliance with federal bodies and professional accreditation organizations. The future demand for imaging QMPs is largely unknown, but professional organizations that represent these groups agree that efforts should be made to increase the number of matriculating trainees. The number of imaging residency programs that provide the necessary professional experience to enter the certification pathway has increased substantially in recent years. Most of these programs follow a traditional academic hospital-based training model, but guidance on program construction from the accrediting body permits flexibility. Existing training models for medical physics imaging also include consortiums of affiliate partners and private consulting service groups. In this article, the authors briefly review the certification pathways for imaging QMPs, workforce estimates, and training models.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 344-349 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of the American College of Radiology |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by an RSNA Educational Scholars Grant. The authors have no conflicts of interest related to the material discussed in this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American College of Radiology
Keywords
- Imaging
- medical physics
- residency