A Medical Physicist is an individual who is competent and certified to practice independently in one or more of the subfields in medical physics. The American College of Radiology (ACR) considers certification, continuing education, and experience in the appropriate subfield(s) to demonstrate that an individual is competent to practice in one or more of the subfields in medical physics, and to have a designation of ” Qualified Medical Physicist”. The ACR strongly recommends that the individual be certified in the appropriate subfield(s) by the American Board of Radiology (ABR), the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine, the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM), or the American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP).
In addition, the Qualified Medical Physicist must meet all qualifications imposed by the state and/or local radiation control agency to practice radiation oncology physics and/or to provide oversight of the establishment and conduct of the physics quality management program. Where required, the Qualified Medical Physicist must have a license to practice therapeutic medical physics. Similarly, depending on the bylaws of the relevant hospital/institution, the credentials and delineated privileges for the Qualified Medical Physicist should be confirmed through the medical staff membership process in the appropriate category because clinical brachytherapy physics involves direct contact with patients and access to their hospital records.
Being a member of the ABS has allowed medical physicists to expand interest, knowledge and improve skills as a qualified medical physicist in the field of Brachytherapy. .
