Physics Residency

Medical Physics Program

The UCI CAMPEP-accredited (Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs) clinical residency education program prepares medical physics PhD graduates to practice independently and to provide the highest quality patient care. Upon completion of 24 months intensive clinical training, graduates will be proficient in in all areas of radiation oncology medical physics and will be capable of implementing novel treatment modalities. Opportunies to engage in mentored academic research will be provided. Graduates have entered a variety of practice settings upon completin of training.

Major Objectives

1. To prepare the medical physics resident for certification by an appropriate professional body primarily the American Board of Radiology (ABR).
2. To provide in-depth training in all aspects of radiation oncology physics so that graduates will be able to provide the highest level of care to oncology patients, will lead their peers in program development including novel technologies, and will be indispensable to those with whom they work through their championing of the latest technologies for safety, efficiency, and cost effectiveness.

Program Structure

1. Residency training occurs through close collaboration and mentorship of experienced faculty physicists each of whom are recognized experts and thought leaders in their areas of specialization.
2. Mastery of the fundamentals of therapy physics grows organically through the daily work with the clinical resources, equipment, and special treatment procedures housed in the Department of Radiation Oncology.
3. Clinical and didactic training is supplemented through special projects such as the evaluation and the implementation of new treatment procedures or the introduction of novel technologies into a state-of-the-art, academic medical center.
4. Medical physics residents receive mentorship and access to the research resources of an NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and often present their work (much of it original) at prestigious national meetings such as AAPM (American Association of Physicists in Medicine) and ASTRO (American Society for Radiation Oncology).

Clinical Rotations

1. CT Simulation and Imaging
2. 3D External beam treatment planning
3. IMRT treatment planning
4. High-Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy treatment planning, delivery and quality assurance
5. Radiation Safety and Shielding
6. Machine Commissioning and Acceptance Testing
7. Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)
8. Total Body Irradiation (TBI)
9. Weekly and initial physics chart check
10. Machine quality assurance-Linear accelerator, CT simulator, Cone-beam CT, Image-guided radiation, Respiratory-gating
11. Ethics and Professionalism

Rotations

1. The training consists of eight clinical rotations of 3 months duration for 24 months total.
2. Each rotation has individual goals & objectives and a faculty for that rotation. The goals & objectives are designed to acquaint trainees with the scientific and clinical bases of that area pertinent to medical physics.
3. Residents attend weekly treatment planning conferences, weekly tumor boards, and are completely integrated into the physician residency didactics (lectures, journal clubs, and (physics relevant) mock oral boards.
4. Residents are expected to keep a log-book documenting their clinical and didactic activities as well as their attendance at conferences and tumor boards.
5. Residents also have the opportunity to partake in the clinical and professional development didactics of the physician radiation oncology trainees. Rotation specific recommended reading of medical physics guidelines detailed in AAPM TG reports, cooperative group trial protocols, relevant journal articles or medical physics texts.
6. Residents meet regularly and frequently with their faculty and receive feedback on their performance each rotation and meet with their faculty mentor(s) regularly.

Application Process

1. Applicants must have a strong foundation in medical physics as well as a strong interest in working in the clinical arena.
2. Applicants must either 1) have graduated from a CAMPEP-accredited MS or PhD graduate program, or 2) possess a PhD in physics or related discipline and have completed a CAMPEP-accredited certificate program, or 3) possess a PhD in physics or related discipline and have satisfactorily completed courses equivalent to those in a CAMPEP-accredited certificate program, as determined by the CAMPEP Graduate Education Program Review Committee (GEPRC)
3. UCI offers one position per year recruited through the AAPM Medical Physics Match Program and submitted online through the AAPM Medical Physics Residency Application Program (MP-RAP) (https://www.aapm.org/MPRAP/), including a CV and three reference letters. Applications must be received by the closing date (usually in December) for a start date of July 1 the following year.

Medical Dosimetry Program Goals

Goal 1

The graduating student will be able to function safely, competenlyt and with minimum supervision as an entry-level medical dosimetrist. Outcomes:

1. The student will have knowledge of treatment planning using basic as well as advanced treatment techniques.
2. The student will have knowledge, understanding of treatment protocol parameters.
3. The student will have knowledge, understanding and be able to perform simple hand calculations for emergency simulation-and-treatment cases.
4. The student will have knowledge and understanding of radiation therapy record-and-verify systems.

Goal 2

The graduating student will possess the necessary critical thinking and problem-solving skills for situations they may encounter in the clinic. Outcomes:

1. The student will have the knowledge to recommend/advise physicians, physicists, and therapists on treatment techniques specific to any treatment planning situation including pros and cons of the proposed techniques.
2. The student will have the knowledge and confidence to work with therapists and physicists on the most efficient patient setup for a special treatment procedure.

Goal 3

The graduating student will possess the skills to communicate effectively with any member of the radiation oncology team regarding any circumstance that involves a patient treatment.

1. Oral presentations and written reports on self-study projects given during training should prepare the student for this task.
2. One-on-one presentations of plans to physicists and physician with justifications for the planning process.

The graduating student will possess the understanding, appreciation and need for continuing education and for patient confidentiality. Outcomes:

1. Continuing education and patient confidentiality through HIPPAA and other training are the core fundamentals not only of the medical dosimetry program but the UCI Radiation Oncology Department as a whole.

Upon successful completion of the program the Medical Dosimetry student will meet all eligibility requirements for the certification examination offered by the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board.