About the Program

General summary

The objective of the Therapeutic Medical Physics Residency program is to provide high quality and professional education and training to physicists in the following areas of clinical radiation oncology physics:

• Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)
• Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT)
• LINAC commissioning, acceptance, quality assurance (QA) and usage
• Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning, quality assurance (QA) and delivery
• Annual, monthly, phantom and in-vivo dose delivery measurements
• Imaging physics
• Brachytherapy – high-dose rate (HDR) and low-dose rate (LDR)
• Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
• 3D conformal treatment planning and delivery
• Total body irradiation (TBI)
• Total skin electron therapy (TSET)
• Radiation safety

Principal duties and responsibilities

Our two-year CAMPEP-accredited residency emphasizes clinical experience and personal development, and the program is designed to prepare the graduate for board certification and a successful professional career in Medical Physics.

The standard clinical residency program is designed to provide both didactic and clinical training over a continuous two year period. This track concentrates predominately on clinical training under the supervision of a faculty mentor, and allows residents to become involved in several clinical projects to improve the efficiency of clinical flow, implement new clinical protocols, and integrate new technology.

To complement their clinical training, medical physic residents will take courses in radiobiology, clinical oncology, and diagnostic radiology. Residents will also be expected to attend weekly treatment planning conferences, weekly physics seminars, and monthly physics journal clubs. Medical physics residents will expected to provide teaching assistance for either the radiation therapists physics course or the radiation therapy medical residents physics course. As a teaching assistant, they will be expected to attend all medical physics lectures.

Knowledge, skills and abilities required

Applicants are required to have completed a Ph.D. or Masters in Medical Physics from a CAMPEP-accredited graduate program, or a Ph.D. in Physics, Physical Science or engineering AND be within 2 courses of completion of the alternative pathway designated by CAMPEP.

Candidates must be willing to commit 2 years to the residency program. Resident’s performance and progress will be documented monthly by the program director and following each rotation by the faculty mentor. Following a review of these documents, the program director and residency committee reserve the right to dismiss residents who fail to demonstrate competency, responsibility, industriousness and ethical behavior.

Must meet or exceed core customer service responsibilities, standards and behaviors as outlined in the Henry Ford Health Customer Service Policy and summarized below:

• Communication
• Excellence
• Motivation
• Ownership
• Respect
• Sensitivity
• Teamwork
• Understanding

Must possess the following personal qualities:

• Demonstrate good communication skills
• Be self-directed
• Be flexible and committed to the team concept
• Demonstrate teamwork, initiative and willingness to learn
• Be open to new learning experiences
• Accepts and respects diversity without judgment
• Demonstrates customer service values

Working conditions

Normal office environment with minimal exposure to noise, dust, or extreme temperatures.

Applications

The program uses the MP-RAP application process and participates in the national Medical Physics Matching Program (“MedPhys Match”) for all positions that start between July 1st and December 31st of each year. We also have ‘off-cycle’ residency positions; those are posted through the AAPM blue book and typically start in the first or second month of the year.

A complete online application should include a curriculum vitae, statement of interest in clinical medical physics, undergraduate and graduate transcripts, and three letters of reference. Candidates must also demonstrate completion of the undergraduate and graduate didactic prerequisites set by the ABR and CAMPEP.