Physicist - Oncology Radiology

SUMMARY:

The medical physicist works with doctors, nurses, technicians, and patients.  They have three main components of works:  Clinical service and consultation, research and development, and teaching.  This position provides physics support for Radiation Oncology department. Key responsibilities include weekly chart checking, acceptance, testing and commissioning of therapy hardware, and calibration and QA of therapy equipment.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

·         Verifies, documents, and maintains all information used in calculation and delivery of radiation doses given to patients.

·         Analyzes and evaluates equipment performance used in the delivery of radiation therapy.

·         Provides technical assistance and clinical support to staff and health personnel as needed at the clinic.

·         Remains current in all treatment techniques and applicable medical physics practice relevant to the regional site

·         Provides instruction to dosimetry and therapy staff.

·         Develops, and performs quality assurance procedures and monitors radiation output, mechanical integrity and safety of equipment used in radiation therapy.

·         Remains current on Federal, State, and Institutional safety guidelines applicable at the clinic.

·         Physicist is expected to credential in all relevant procedures practiced at the clinic.

• Participates in continuing education.
• Participates in quality improvement processes.
• Adheres to TMC organizational and department-specific safety, confidentiality, values, policies, and standards.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION:  Masters degree in Medical Physics or related major or Ph. D in Medical Physics or related major.  

EXPERIENCE:  Two (2) years of post-degree clinical experience or completion of a post-degree clinical medical physics residency.

LICENSURE OR CERTIFICATION:  Current National Medical Physics Therapeutic Certification from the American Board of Radiology required.   Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: 

·         Knowledge technical aspects of radiation therapy treatments

·         Knowledgeable in the areas of anatomy, physiology, clinical oncology, radiobiology, radiation physics, and radiation safety.

·         Expertise in the technical aspects of radiation oncology and medical physics to develop optimal treatment plans which include multi-modality (MR, PET) imaging for use in rigid and deformable registration, respiratory gating, and daily assessment of CBCT for dose tracking and possible treatment adaptation.

·         Knowledgeable in health care informatics-including the resources, devices, and methods to acquire, store and retrieve data. Tools include computers and software such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as well as clinical guidelines, current medical terminology, information, and communication systems.

·         Possess good communication and interpersonal skills to facilitate the exchange of information with patients, family members, the radiation oncology treatment team as well as outside entities.

·         Has high level critical thinking and problem-solving skills, to include the ability to make quick evaluation and decisions for on-line adaptive responsibilities.

·         Has the ability to interpret criteria and develop treatment plans as defined by relevant treatment protocols.

·         Has mathematical skills including algebra, trigonometry, and introductory calculus.

·         Knowledgeable in conducting clinical research including collecting data, implementing a study, and writing papers for publication.