Becoming a Medical Physicist: What Does a Medical Physicist Do?
Medical physicists serve an important purpose: these workers bridge the gap between physics and medicine. Their work ensures that medical equipment operates effectively, treatments are delivered with precision, and patients receive safe, high-quality care.
There is a growing need for more medical physicists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, physicist jobs are expected to grow 7% by 2033. Understanding the importance of medical physicists starts first with understanding what the job entails, and the education and training needed to become one.
What is a Medical Physicist?
A medical physicist is a healthcare professional who uses their expertise in physics to make important medical decisions. They often specialize in areas such as radiation therapy, diagnostic imaging, and nuclear medicine. Medical physicists are unique because they apply complex scientific principles to practical healthcare solutions.
3 Types of Medical Physicists
There are three broad fields medical physicists often pursue in their careers: therapy physics, health physics, and diagnostic medical physics.
Therapy Physicists: These physicists specialize in the use of high-energy radiation, primarily for cancer treatment. They play a critical role in planning and delivering radiation therapy, ensuring the safe and effective use of radiation beams to target tumors.
Health Physicists: Health physicists focus on radiation safety, often working in areas like regulatory compliance requirements. They may consult on radiation exposure guidelines. This field does not always require a master’s degree, as it typically does not involve advanced machine testing.
Diagnostic Medical Physicists: These medical physicists are experts in imaging technologies like CT, MRI, and X-ray systems. They conduct equipment testing, optimize imaging protocols, and ensure diagnostic tools meet safety and performance standards.
What Does a Medical Physicist Job Entail on a Daily Basis?
A day in the life of a medical physicist can vary greatly depending on what specialty they choose to do. According to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, medical physicists working in clinical settings often have three core duties:
- Patient Consultation & Care
- Research
- Teaching
Patient Consultation & Care
For patient consultation and care, medical physicists work directly with doctors to determine the best radiation-based treatment available to help people who are facing health issues such as cancer. Treatments can include radiation therapy, which can be administered internally (often intravenously), or externally using a machine such as a linear accelerator.
Medical physicists ensure medical equipment works correctly and safely, performing equipment acceptance testing for accreditation. They do things such as ensure a mammography machine properly detects the smallest of tumors. They’re also called into different medical situations for any issues or difficulties with the equipment. For example, if someone accidentally spills radioactive material or a brachytherapy equipment malfunctions while a patient is on the table, a medical physicist would be called to assess the situation's safety and look for any damage or misalignment of the equipment.
Research
Research by medical physicists can focus on everything from developing new techniques to improving radiation measurement and dose calculation. In one research project, medical physicists may investigate how dose uncertainty can make it difficult to treat certain lesions and look into different techniques for particle beam delivery to try and improve the process. As another example, medical physicists may research a specific type of dosimeter such as a thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) to provide better, research-backed recommendations on the best methods for wearing them for optimal readings and safety best practices. Medical physicists working as part of a medical school or university hospital are often more likely to conduct research.
While every medical physicist is not required to do research as part of their regular job duties, all are required to complete regular continuing education (CE) credits to maintain their certification. The total CEs vary based on certifications, but often must be completed every two to three years. These CEs can be completed through the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, through CE courses led by private companies, or through conferences and workshops. LANDAUER offers CE courses through LANDAUER Academy as well as numerous webinars throughout the year.
Teaching
Similarly, teaching may be expected for medical physicists working in medical school or university hospitals. These medical physicists may be expected to help with clinical instruction in teaching hospitals as well as academic work in classrooms or laboratories on top of or outside of their regularly scheduled clinical duties. Teaching isn’t only limited to classrooms and educational settings; some medical physicists may use their teaching skills to help a hospital system learn what changes need to be made to their radiation protection plan to follow proper regulations or reiterating proper safety procedures.
Common Jobs for Medical Physicists
For medical physicists looking to do clinical work, there are four common job settings where they’ll most likely end up working:
- Medical school or university hospital
- Private or community hospital
- Cancer center
- Medical physics service group
However, for those not looking to do clinical work, there are other opportunities for medical physicists to work within the industry by working in sales, consulting for medical companies like LANDAUER, quality assurance testing, training on new products, and regulation or radiation safety work with a hospital or government organization such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Education Necessary to Become a Medical Physicist
Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor’s Degree in Physics or Different Natural Science
Medical physicists can study everything from physics to different natural sciences. There are only a handful of colleges that offer undergraduate medical physics degrees including schools such as Purdue University and the University of Florida. Once completing undergraduate degrees, students have a few different routes they can go to becoming certified medical physicists: earning a master's degree, then going one step further to earn a doctorate in a scientific discipline or a doctor of medical physics (DMP) degree.
Master’s Degree: Masters in Physics, Medical Physics, or Different Natural Science
Students who choose to get a master's degree often earn their degrees in physics or medical physics although there are some that complete different science degrees such as biomedical engineering. The process of earning a master's degree normally takes about four years. For the first two years, students learn from teachers within a classroom, and they may take on small research projects. Students normally complete paid residencies in the final two years of the program.
Doctorate Degree: PhD in Physics or Different Natural Science.
After earning a master’s degree, students can then get their PhD. This normally takes anywhere from five to seven years. The first portion of the degree involves standard didactic training within the classroom. During this time, doctorate students may also work as a teaching assistant or research assistant. Next, they’ll begin working on an independent research project. The final part of the degree will involve a two-year paid residency, and spending an extra two years in a postdoctoral research position is not uncommon.
Doctor of Medical Physics (DMP)
This doctorate degree is a relatively new, streamlined degree for medical physics students. The professional doctorate normally takes a total of four years. Two years take part in the classroom and the final two years include residency. The difference between this and other degrees is the student often pays for all four years, unlike other programs where students may have paid residencies. Once completing this degree, students will earn the title of “doctor” because of their clinical work, and they’ll also be immediately available to take part two of the American Board of Radiology (ABR) certification exam.
Medical Physicist Certification Process
Once their academic work is completed, Medical Physicists must attend a residency program and take a board exam before they can be certified as a Medical Physicist. LANDAUER offers a two-year CAMPEP accredited residency program for those interested in pursuing Diagnostic Medical Physics. Certification exams are available through the American Board of Radiology and the American Board of Medical Physics. The exam is normally broken down into three parts, ending with an oral examination.
Why Become a Medical Physicist?
Medical physicists are indispensable to the health and safety of medical and nuclear industries, performing lifesaving, highly technical work that often requires their on-site expertise. As a niche but vital profession, the demand for skilled medical physicists continues to grow, especially as the current generation transitions into retirement or stationary roles. For those with a passion for science and math, problem-solving, and making a tangible difference, a career as a medical physicist offers both unique challenges and immense rewards. Whether you’re just starting your journey or exploring a career change, stepping into this field means stepping into a role that truly matters.
Medical Physicist FAQs
Q: How much does a medical physicist make on average?
A: Physicists make an average of $155,680 annually according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Q: How can I become a board-certified medical physicist?
A: There are two certification exams a candidate can take. One is from the American Board of Radiology and the other is from the American Board of Medical Physics.
Q: Do medical physicists only deal with cancer?
A: Medical physicists specializing in radiation therapy often mainly work with cancer patients. However, medical physicists do more than just cancer treatment work. They are trained to complete machine performance testing on diagnostic equipment and help with workplace safety regulations.
Q: Is there a need for medical physicists?
A: Yes. While this is a niche field, due to low numbers of people entering the field and many retiring, there is a growing need for medical physicists.