New certification rules intended to improve the quality and uniformity of medical physics training go into effect in a few years. In preparation, the field is scrambling to create enough residency slots for the first classes that fall under the tightened rules.
Starting in 2012, to sit for the board exams the American Board of Radiology will require that people be enrolled in or have graduated from an accredited medical physics master’s, PhD, or clinical residency program. At the urging of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), two years later that requirement will be superseded, and test takers will have to be enrolled in or have completed an accredited residency. Passing the ABR exams confers certification that a person is qualified to independently practice radiologic physics and advise physicians about the physical aspects of radiation therapy, diagnostic radiology, or nuclear medicine. Certification for the specialty areas of medical...
