Training Of Medical Physicists Research Articles

3029: A survey of leadership education and training for medical physicists in Europe

3029: A survey of leadership education and training for medical physicists in Europe

3365: Innovative interdisciplinary medical physics education and training

3365: Innovative interdisciplinary medical physics education and training

Strengthening education and training programmes for medical physics in Asia and the Pacific: the IAEA non-agreement technical cooperation (TC) regional RAS6088 project.

This article documents the work conducted in implementing the IAEA non-agreement TC regional RAS6088 project "Strengthening Education and Training Programmes for Medical Physics". Necessary information on the project was collected from the project counterparts via emails for a period of one month, starting from 21st September 2023, and verified at the Final Regional Coordination Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand from 30th October 2023 to 3rd November 2023. Sixty-three participants were trained in 5 Regional Training Courses (RTCs), with 48%, 32% and 20% in radiation therapy, diagnostic radiology, and nuclear medicine, respectively. One RTC was successfully organised to introduce molecular biology as an academic module to participants. Three participating Member States, namely United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal and Afghanistan have initiated processes to start the postgraduate master medical physics education programmes by coursework, adopting the IAEA TCS56 Guidelines. UAE has succeeded in completing the process while Nepal and Afghanistan have yet to initiate the programme. The postgraduate master medical physics programmes by coursework were strengthened in Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Syria, and Thailand, along with the national registration of medical physicists. In particular, Thailand has revised 6 postgraduate master medical physics programmes by coursework during the tenure of this project. Home Based Assignment and RTCs have resulted in two publications. In conclusion, the RAS6088 project was found to have achieved its planned outcomes despite challenges faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is proposed that a follow up project be implemented to increase the number of Member States who are better prepared to improve medical physics education and training in the region.

Implementation of a programmatic assessment model in radiation oncology medical physics training.

In 2019, a formal review and update of the current training program for medical physics residents/registrars in Australasia was conducted. The purpose of this was to ensure the program met current local clinical and technological requirements, to improve standardization of training across Australia and New Zealand and generate a dynamic curriculum and programmatic assessment model. A four-phase project was initiated, including a consultant desktop review of the current program and stakeholder consultation. Overarching program outcomes on which to base the training model were developed, with content experts used to update the scientific content. Finally, assessment specialists reviewed a range of assessment models to determine appropriate assessment methods for each learning outcome, creating a model of programmatic assessment. The first phase identified a need for increased standardized assessment incorporating programmatic assessment. Seven clear program outcome statements were generated and used to guide and underpin the new curriculum framework. The curriculum was expanded from the previous version to include emerging technologies, while removing previous duplication. Finally, a range of proposed assessments for learning outcomes in the curriculum were generated into the programmatic assessment model. These new assessment methods were structured to incorporate rubric scoring to provide meaningful feedback. An updated training program for Radiation Oncology Medial Physics registrars/residents was released in Australasia. Scientific content from a previous program was used as a foundation and revised for currency with the ability to accommodate a dynamic curriculum model. A programmatic model of assessment was created after comprehensive review and consultation. This new model of assessment provides more structured, ongoing assessment throughout the training period. It contains allowances for local bespoke assessment, and guidance for supervisors by the provision of marking templates and rubrics.

Reforming Medical Physics and Radiopharmaceutical Science Training Through a Programmatic Approach to Assessment.

Programmatic assessment approaches can be extended to the design of allied health professions training, to enhance the learning of trainees. The Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine worked with assessment specialists at the Australian Council for Educational Research and Amplexa Consulting, to revise their medical physics and radiopharmaceutical science training programs. One of the central aims of the revisions was to produce a training program that provides standardized training support to their registrars throughout the 3 years, better supporting their registrars to successfully complete the program in the time frame through providing timely and constructive feedback on the registrar's progression. We used the principles of programmatic assessment to revise the assessment methods and progression decisions in the three training programs. We revised the 3-year training programs for diagnostic imaging medical physics, radiation oncology medical physics and radiopharmaceutical science in Australia and New Zealand, incorporating clear stages of training and associated progression points. We discuss the advantages and difficulties that have arisen with this implementation. We found 5 key elements necessary for implementing programmatic assessment in these specialized contexts: embracing blurred boundaries between assessment of and for learning, adapting the approach to each specialized context, change management, engaging subject matter experts, and clear communication to registrars/trainees.

Global status of medical physics human resource – The IOMP survey report

PurposeRealizing the need for periodic surveys about global medical physics human resource, the International Organization for Medical Physics (IOMP) performed a third survey following the previous two (2015 and 2018). The objective was to collect information about the current numbers of medical physicists (MPs) in individual countries, about their MP training, and accreditation pathways. MethodsThe survey was designed using Google Forms. Forms were distributed to national MP associations around the world. The data was collected during May-Nov 2022. MS Excel and SPSS software were used to perform descriptive statistics. Results64 valid responses were received covering all continents. The largest numbers of MPs are in high income countries of Europe, Australia and North America, while the lowest numbers of MPs are seen in middle and low-income countries of Asia, Latin America and Africa. Among the respondents, 73% reported MP shortages in their countries. 69% reported the existence of an official MP training program which comprises university courses and in-service training. Furthermore, 85% of the respondents indicated the availability of MP university courses, primarily at the Master’s degree level. Participation in research was between 10 and 30% of allocated work time for 42% and below 10% for 33% respondents. ConclusionsThere are new findings on number of MPs per million population in different countries, with some expressing adequacy in the total number of MPs, but the data breakdown indicates a shortage in diagnostic X-ray physicists. Future surveys should also investigate in more detail data on outsourcing, and involvement in research.

Review of true tales of medical physics: Insights into a life‐saving specialty, edited by Jacob Van Dyk

Review of true tales of medical physics: Insights into a life‐saving specialty, edited by Jacob Van Dyk

Academic program recommendations for graduate degrees in medical physics: AAPM Report No. 365 (Revision of Report No. 197).

Academic program recommendations for graduate degrees in medical physics: AAPM Report No. 365 (Revision of Report No. 197).

AAPM Task Group 298: Recommendations on certificate program/alternative pathway candidate education and training.

Entry into the field of clinical medical physics is most commonly accomplished through the completion of a Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP)-accredited graduate and residency program. To allow a mechanism to bring valuable expertise from other disciplines into clinical practice in medical physics, an "alternative pathway" approach was also established. To ensure those trainees who have completed a doctoral degree in physics or a related discipline have the appropriate background and didactic training in medical physics, certificate programs and a CAMPEP-accreditation process for these programs were initiated. However, medical physics-specific didactic, research, and clinical exposure of those entering medical physics residencies from these certificate programs is often comparatively modest when evaluated against individuals holding Master's and/or Doctoral degrees in CAMPEP-accredited graduate programs. In 2016, the AAPM approved the formation of Task Group (TG) 298, "Alternative Pathway Candidate Education and Training." The TG was charged with reviewing previous published recommendations for alternative pathway candidates and developing recommendations on the appropriate education and training of these candidates. This manuscript is a summary of the AAPM TG 298 report.

Introductory Curriculum to Health Disparities for Medical Physics Trainees: A Pilot Experience

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront longstanding and pervasive health disparities (HD) in the United States that are driven by underlying structural inequities rooted in racism and intersecting systems of power. It is imperative that medical physics training programs increase their commitment and investment in teaching trainees about HD, especially as the profession becomes more patient-facing. To address this current training gap, we designed an introductory HD curriculum for medical physics graduate students and residents.MethodsA HD scholar and medical physicist collaborated to design this course. The curriculum consisted of four weekly 1.5-hour synchronous online sessions. Sessions were developed based on transformative learning theory and involved didactic lectures, case studies, large and small group discussions, and reflection exercises. Session topics included social determinants of equity, structural racism, implicit bias, public outreach, and critical reflection. Participants were asked to fill out pre-post surveys containing open- and close-ended questions for each session and the overall course to evaluate the curriculum's impact on participants. Due to the relevance and timeliness of this topic, trainees were encouraged to attend any part of the course as getting exposure to at least some HD training was prioritized over having a consistent course cohort for optimal data collection.ResultsFifteen trainees attended at least part of the course with 8-11 attendees/session. Most participants reported that weekly sessions increased their feelings of competence to explain the relevance of HD to their role in medical physics (4/7), address mistrust, bias, and stereotyping during patient-provider encounters (6/10), engage in critical reflection (7/8), and design public engagement strategies to reduce HD (5/5). Among participants that completed a pre-post survey for the overall course (N=4), 75% reported they will likely/very likely explore issues related to HD in their future education, research, and/or practice. All would recommend this course to colleagues noting satisfaction with topics, atmosphere to discuss sensitive issues, virtual format, activities, and facilitators.DiscussionThe course was well-attended despite being outside of program requirements, which showed there was interest in the subject. Topics presented resonated with participants and were viewed as timely and relevant to their practice. The implementation of this course shows that it is possible to successfully incorporate HD instruction into the medical physics curriculum in an introductory manner. More robust and consistent data collection is necessary to fully assess the impact of the course on participants.

ASTRO's Framework for Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Curriculum Development for Trainees

In 2017, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) board of directors prioritized radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) as a leading area for new therapeutic development, and the ASTRO RPT workgroup was created. Herein, the workgroup has developed a framework for RPT curriculum development upon which education leaders can build to integrate this modality into radiation oncology resident education. Through this effort, the workgroup aims to provide a guide to ensure robust training in an emerging therapeutic area within the context of existing radiation oncology training in radiation biology, medical physics, and clinical radiation oncology. The framework first determines the core RPT knowledge required to select patients, prescribe, safely administer, and manage related adverse events. Then, it defines the most important topics for preparing residents for clinical RPT planning and delivery. This framework is designed as a tool to supplement the current training that exists for radiation oncology residents. The final document was approved by the ASTRO board of directors in the fall of 2021.

Introduction of Young Researchers' Association of Medical Physics and Questionnaire Survey on Medical Physics Education and Medical Physics Training System in Japan for Young Researchers in 2021

Details of Young Researchers' Association of Medical Physics (YRAMP) was introduced. In addition, several questionnaire surveys on medical physics education (MPE) or medical physicist training system (MPTS) in Japan have been conducted, none have targeted the current status and issues of MPE and MPTS. The purpose of this study was to investigate those from the perspective of researchers and students under 35-year-old (y.o.). The questionnaire survey was conducted between 14th September to 14th October 2021, for 112 members of the Young Researchers' Association of Medical Physics via Google Forms. The questionnaire was in two parts: MPE (Part1) and MPTS (Part2). Three subparts were constructed in Part1: Classroom lecture, Clinical training, Education course accredited by Japanese Board of Medical Physicist Qualification. Out of a total of 126 questions, 38 were mandatory to be answered. No personal information was collected. Ninety-three members (83.0%) were answered. The age structure of the respondents was as follows: 18-21, 22-26, 27-30, and 31-35 y.o.=5.4%, 36.6%, 39.8%, and 18.2%. Of the respondents, 74.2% and 11.8% answered that they first heard of "medical physics" or "medical physicist" when they were undergraduate students and in high school or younger, respectively. In Classroom lecture, 61.3%, 17.2%, and 21.5% of the respondents answered that they were "satisfied" or "moderately satisfied", "dissatisfied" or "moderately dissatisfied", and "Not sure" with the current MPE, respectively. In Clinical training, Education course, and MPTS, 58.1%, 21.5%, and 20.4% of the respondents answered that they were "satisfied" or "moderately satisfied", "dissatisfied" or "moderately dissatisfied", and "Not sure", respectively. In both MPE and MPTS, approximately 88% and 51% of the respondents answered that "holding lectures and study sessions for high school and undergraduate students" and "utilizing YouTube" would be useful in promoting MPE and MPTS in Japan, respectively. The results of the questionnaire survey will provide useful data for MPE and MPTS in Japan.

Dr. Edith H. Quimby: A pioneering medical physicist and educator with outstanding contributions in radiation dosimetry

Dr. Edith H. Quimby: A pioneering medical physicist and educator with outstanding contributions in radiation dosimetry

Collaborative networking and support for medical physics development in low and middle income (LMI) countries.

Medical physics is one of the key aspects of contemporary medicine, primarily focused on the safe and effective use of medical imaging and radiotherapy equipment. The number of medical physicists and their activities are directly related to the national/regional healthcare provision. The distribution of the medical physics workforce however is still very uneven—more than 70% of all medical physicists are in North America and Europe, serving the healthcare provision of about 1 billion people. The remaining 30% of medical physicists serve the healthcare provision of the rest of the world—serving about 6.5 billion people. A number of activities were taken by various teams and organisations to address this issue. The increase of quality of healthcare and the effectiveness of medical technology usage, lie in adequate education and training for medical physicists and engineers, who are the front-liners when it comes to dealing with technology in healthcare. To help LMI countries professional growth in the field of medical physics and technology, we developed an education and capacity building strategy, based on the revolutionary application of digital resources combined with experience sharing through large international network.

Artificial intelligence and the medical physics profession - A Swedish perspective.

There is a continuous and dynamic discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) in present-day society. AI is expected to impact on healthcare processes and could contribute to a more sustainable use of resources allocated to healthcare in the future. The aim for this work was to establish a foundation for a Swedish perspective on the potential effect of AI on the medical physics profession. We designed a survey to gauge viewpoints regarding AI in the Swedish medical physics community. Based on the survey results and present-day situation in Sweden, a SWOT analysis was performed on the implications of AI for the medical physics profession. Out of 411 survey recipients, 163 responded (40%). The Swedish medical physicists with a professional license believed (90%) that AI would change the practice of medical physics but did not foresee (81%) that AI would pose a risk to their practice and career. The respondents were largely positive to the inclusion of AI in educational programmes. According to self-assessment, the respondents' knowledge of and workplace preparedness for AI was generally low. From the survey and SWOT analysis we conclude that AI will change the medical physics profession and that there are opportunities for the profession associated with the adoption of AI in healthcare. To overcome the weakness of limited AI knowledge, potentially threatening the role of medical physicists, and build upon the strong position in Swedish healthcare, medical physics education and training should include learning objectives on AI.

Education, training and registration of Medical Physics Experts across Europe.

From its inception, EFOMP has pursued a policy to improve and coordinate education and training of medical physicists across all its participating European countries. Several EFOMP policy statements on education and training have been published and surveys have been held to get an overview of the actual situation. At the beginning of 2020 a new survey was distributed amongst the 36 National Member Organizations (NMOs), in which questions were based on recommendations published in the most recent policy statements. Thirty-three of the NMOs (91%) responded, of which 22 indicated having a National Registration Scheme (NRS) for Medical Physics Experts (MPEs) in place. Another 6 indicated considering such a scheme. Results of the questionnaire showed that there was good correspondence between education and training programmes, i.e. a division between a BSc phase, an MSc phase and a clinical phase after completion of the MSc. Differences between NRSs were primarily seen in the availability and composition of a supervising committee and in the availability of guidelines for handling professional misconduct. In addition, some differences were seen in the topics that were part of the education and training programme. The goal of a universal (registered) MPE accepted by all European countries is still far away despite the progress being made. The new procedure for approving an existing NRS, which fulfils all EFOMP criteria is seen as an important step forward. Exchange of experience, knowledge, ideas and, above all, MPE trainees between European countries is seen as the best approach to achieve this goal.

Towards an updated ESTRO-EFOMP core curriculum for education and training of medical physics experts in radiotherapy - A survey of current education and training practice in Europe.

ESTRO-EFOMP intend to update the core curriculum (CC) for education and training of medical physicists in radiotherapy in line with the European Commission (EC) guidelines on Medical Physics Experts (MPE), the CanMEDS methodology and recent developments in radiotherapy. As input, a survey of the current structure of radiotherapy MPE national training schemes (NTS) in Europe was carried out. A 35-question survey was sent to all European medical physics national societies (NS) with a focus on existence of an NTS, its format and duration, required entry-level education, and financial support for trainees. Twenty-six of 36 NS responded. Twenty had an NTS. Minimum required pre-training education varied from BSc in physics or related sciences (5/2) to MSc in medical physics, physics or related sciences (6/5/2) with 50-210 ECTS in fundamental physics and mathematics. The training period varied from 1 to 5years (median 3years with 50% dedicated to radiotherapy). The ratio of time spent on university lectures versus hospital training was most commonly 25%/75%. In 14 of 20 countries with an NTS, a research project was mandatory. Residents were paid in 17 of 20 countries. The recognition was mostly obtained by examination. Medical physics is recognised as a healthcare profession in 19 of 26 countries. The NTS entrance level, duration and curriculum showed significant variations. This survey serves to inform the design of the updated CC to define a realistic minimum training level for safe and effective practice aiming at further harmonization in line with EC guidelines.

Status of medical physics education and training in AFOMP region.

Medical physicists are health professionals recognized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and hence medical physicists working in a clinical environment should have the required competency and undergo a structured training program and residency under an experienced medical physicist in a recognized institution. Furthermore, medical physics is a rapidly growing area needing a high degree of knowledge and professional competency due to the rise in complexity of treatment procedures, increasing access to medical technology, and the requirement of coordination between the disciplines of medicine, physics and biomedical engineering. The unprecedented surge in medical physics competency in the last 2-3 decades is due to the implementation of specialized physics intensive procedures such as particle therapy, image-guided & intra-operative radiotherapy, advanced imaging and nuclear medicine techniques. In this scenario to handle this new technology era the quantity of qualified medical physicists needs to be in consonance with the competency needed. There is a special requirement for education and training of medical physicists which led to the opening of numerous educational programs around the world. The Asia-Oceania Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (AFOMP) was founded in 2000 and today 19 countries national medical physicist associations (NMPO) are member of AFOMP. The AFOMP region is populated by over 4.5 billion people and socioeconomically is very diverse with GDP per capita as high as around US $60,000 [Australia] to as low as around US $750 [Nepal]. We conducted a survey by sending questionnaires to AFOMP NMPOs to assess the status of medical physics education and training in the region. We have received responses from 20 countries in the AFOMP region to the questionnaire. It was observed that 16 [80%] countries from AFOMP have well organized master program in medical physics, however only 8 [50%] programs were accredited and in only 9 [45%] countries are medical physicists registered as health professionals.

Quantitative Medical Physics National Job Data Distribution Analysis

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contemporary distribution of medical physics (MP) employment opportunities across the United States. An annual record (2018-2019) of advertised full-time MP jobs was created using publicly available information from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and Indeed websites. Listed jobs were categorized based on position name, work experience, job function, and geographic region. To account for regional population differences, a preponderance of employment opportunities per 10 million people was computed. Using Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs residency accreditation data, the nationwide locations of the MP training centers and the number of residency positions per annum were identified. A chi-square goodness-of-fit test was used for statistical analysis. A total of 441 unique MP jobs were identified nationwide per annum (2018-2019). The highest percentage of MP jobs was reported from the South region (33.6%), and the lowest (17.2%) was from the West. Analysis revealed that 148 jobs (33.6%) were academic and 293 (66.4%) were nonacademic. The South had the most academic jobs overall (31.8%), whereas the West had the fewest (13.5%). Regionally, the highest percentage of academic jobs (46.9%) was reported from the Northeast, whereas the West had the lowest percentage (26.3%). The analysis of academic versus nonacademic job comparison by regions showed statistically significant differences (P = .0133). The Midwest and the West regions, respectively, showed the highest (18.2) and lowest (10.24) number of jobs per unit population, measured in 10 million. To our knowledge, this is one of the first national quantitative job data analyses of MP job distributions. This study revealed the level of demand for qualified candidates in 2018 to 2019, showing an imbalance between academic and nonacademic positions across the regions of the United States. Moreover, the geographic distribution of job listings deviated significantly from expectation given the relative population of each region.

High Yield Physics Video Series (Hi-Phy) Pilot for Radiation Oncology Trainees

Mastering the concepts of medical physics necessary for Radiation Oncology (RO) is challenging, especially for medical residents with a variety of backgrounds. Aside from didactic physics courses, preparation for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) radiation physics written exam for radiation oncology medical residents involves a comparatively narrow range of preparation materials or costly review courses. After the substantial failure rate of the 2018 exam, the heterogeneous quality of physics didactics and the adequacy of preparatory methods have been criticized. With the ABR’s commitment to the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s Physics Core Curriculum as the framework for the exam, preparation materials for this exam can be meaningfully expanded. The High Yield Physics Educational (Hi-Phy) initiative postulates that it is possible to develop and disseminate a series of free, high-value, case-based, and engaging videos specifically for RO trainees. The purpose of this study is to develop and test an educational e-learning series to bolster engagement in medical physics training and retention of knowledge. We hypothesize that the Hi-Phy videos will be used by a third of US radiation oncology trainees, whether as a preparatory “bridge” lesson for institutional didactics or a review during board exam preparation. A multi-institutional and multidisciplinary team of 7 medical physicists, a RO resident, a radiation oncologist, pedagogical experts at a center for teaching and learning, and graphic design experts from a broadcasting department has formed. Four videos are planned in the Hi-Phy pilot with expansion to 10-15 videos. The videos will be case-based, with strong graphic design elements, as well as the use of retrieval practice for maximum engagement and concept retention of learners. The hosting website’s data will track views and posted comments. In collaboration with pedagogical experts, validated survey tools will be used to assess indicators of user-acceptance of the e-learning. Likert scale responses on the tool regarding: comprehensibility, format, perceived ease of use, usefulness, and duration will be sought from users. The data collected will be analyzed to assess the depth and scope of material covered. We will solicit self-reported physics board pass rates from initial users longitudinally as they complete their ABR exam. The Hi-Phy initiative is feasible and the pilot will require minimum grant support for the purpose of video production. Hi-Phy is a unique, low cost-to-user initiative that is expected to fill a need of current trainees to learning medical physics at the level required for ABR physics board exams. By presenting physics material in a case-based and interactive format and stimulating ongoing retrieval practice, engagement with high rates of concept retention will be fostered. Using pilot project feedback, Hi-Phy will adapt topic depth, format, and video production.