Residency Program in Medical Physics
Residency SharePoint
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The mission of the Residency Program in Medical Physics at East Carolina University (ECU) Brody School of Medicine (BSOM) is to prepare individuals to practice independently as certified medical physicists in radiation oncology. Those who successfully complete the residency will gain the experience and knowledge necessary to oversee routine clinical procedures and to establish novel techniques.
Mentors in the Radiation Oncology Medical Physics Residency Program offer a wealth of experience and are engaged academically and professionally at local, national, and international levels. Among our experienced mentors are Diplomates of the American Board of Radiology (ABR); a Fellow in the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM); a Member of the Harvard Business Review (HBR) Advisory Council; a Panelist on MIT’s Technology Review Global Panel; a Certified Medical Dosimetrist (CMD); and members of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
The primary objectives of the Residency Program in Medical Physics include:
- Prepare graduates for certification in therapeutic medical physics by an appropriate certification board;
- Provide graduates with onsite training under the close supervision of experienced therapeutic physicists; and
- Enable graduates to immediately contribute to the quality of patient care in radiation therapy clinics by providing a broad-based and in depth medical physics training experience.
The Residency Program in Medical Physics emphasizes all areas of training that will be needed by a therapeutic medical physicist in an ACR accredited, state-of-the-art treatment facility. Specific clinical training areas include: 1) 3DCRT/IMRT/VMAT, robotic and linac-based SBRT, Gamma Knife SRS, HDR brachytherapy, and unsealed radiopharmaceutical therapies. Additionally, the program will also expose residents to management of a single accelerator, community-based, free-standing facility. Over the past ten years, nine residents have been trained and obtained jobs in therapeutic clinics, most of whom have been certified by the American Board of Radiology (ABR).
The Residency Program in Medical Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology at East Carolina University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) and participates in the Medical Physics National Matching Program (i.e., “MedPhys Match”).
Residency Admission Requirements
Position Type
Medical Physics Resident/Clinical Instructor/Clinical Fellow
Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
1.0
Overview
The Residency Program consists of two years of rotations, giving the Resident experience with a complete range of therapeutic medical physics clinical procedures. The Resident will join a clinical team to include Medical Physicists certified by the American Board of Radiology; Dosimetrists; and Radiation Oncologists. Faculty physicists also support the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physicists Education Program (CAMPEP) accredited degree program in Medical Physics, offered through the Department of Physics at East Carolina University.
Job Duties
The successful candidate will join a clinical program in a University setting with a full range of radiation therapy offerings, to include Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), High Dose-rate Radiotherapy (HDR), and radio-pharmaceuticals. The Medical Physics team provides clinical support for a Gamma Knife Perfexion Stereotactic Radiosurgery facility, an M6 CyberKnife, two TrueBeam linac machines, and a third Varian Edge linac machine to be operational early in the Resident term. In March 2018, a new six-story Cancer Tower is scheduled to open at ECU Health Medical Center, which will house this equipment.
Minimum Education/Experience
Master’s Degree from an appropriately accredited institution in Medical Physics or PhD’s degree in medical physics or related field and completed a CAMPEP-accredited certificate program.
License or Certification Required by Statute or Regulation
Board Certification or eligibility for certification by American Board of Radiology.
Preferred Experience, Skills, Training/Education
PhD preferred in Medical Physics or a closely related field.
Special Instructions to Applicant
East Carolina University requires applicants to submit a candidate profile online in order to be considered for the position. In addition to submitting a candidate profile online, please submit online the required applicant documents:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letter of Interest
- List of Three References (noting contact information)
AA/EOE
East Carolina University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race/ethnicity, color, genetic information, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, political affiliation, or veteran status. Individuals requesting accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) should contact the Department for Disability Support Services at 252-737-1016 (Voice/TTY).
Eligibility for Employment
Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. ECU participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.
Rotations
Rotation | Title | Objective | Schedule |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Orientation | Provide resident with detailed information on the program’s administrative procedures, department and university expectations, workflows, clinical systems and equipment, and radiation safety. | Year 1 Month 1 |
2 | Dosimetric Measurements | Allow resident to study dosimetric measurement systems and protocols used in the clinic and provide practical experience working with each. | Year 1 Quarter 1 |
3 | Machine QA | Train resident to work in comprehensive commissioning and QA programs for a linac, Gamma Knife, CT scanner, and imaging systems, in accordance with AAPM guidelines. | Year 1 Quarter 2 |
4 | Treatment Planning I and Physicist Of The Day (POD) | Introduce resident to dosimetry and treatment planning systems (TPS), informatics used in radiation therapy clinics, and the duties of the POD. | Year 1 Quarter 3 |
5 | Treatment Planning II and Physicist Of The Day (POD) | Build upon previous rotation by training resident on advance treatment planning using 3D conformal, IMRT and VMAT techniques, commissioning TPS, administration of informatic systems, and continuing rotations with POD. | Year 1 Quarter 4 |
6 | Radiation Safety | Train resident to examine all aspects of a radiation safety program, working with sealed and open sources, transport of radioactive materials, design of facilities, and the process for acquiring, accepting, and commissioning new equipment. | Year 2 Quarter 1 |
7 | Brachytherapy | Train resident in brachytherapy applications, including planning and treatment, QA, ordering and managing source inventories, and radiation safety. | Year 2 Quarter 2 |
8 | Special Procedures | Instruct resident on specialty techniques in Total Body Irradiation (TBI), Total Skin Electron Irradiation (TSEI), and proton therapy. | Year 2 Quarter 2 |
9 | SRS-SABR | Train resident on Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR), also known as Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), with applications to Gamma Knife, CyberKnife, and linac-based treatments. | Year 2 Quarter 3 |
10 | Professional Development and Full Clinical Participation | Prepare resident to find employment as a junior clinical physicist. | Year 2 Quarter 4 |
Enrollment and Graduate Data
Year | Applicants | Applicants Offered Admission | Applicants Enrolled | Graduates |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | 30 | 3 | 3 | |
2008 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
2009 | 39 | 2 | 2 | - |
2010 | 0 | - | - | 1 |
2011 | 43 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
2012 | 8 | - | - | - |
2013 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2014 | 9 | 1 | 1 | - |
2015 | 0 | - | - | - |
2016 | 12 | 2 | 1 | - |
2017 | 9 | 1 | 1 | - |
2018 | 8 | 1 | 1 | - |
2019 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2020 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2021 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
2022 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - |
2023 | 76 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Former Resident Data
Position No. | Initials* | Start | End | Last Known Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
966531 | DS | Nov 2007 | Mar 2008 | Medical Physicist, Nash UNC Health Care, Rocky Mount, NC |
966521 | MF | Nov 2007 | Dec 2008 | Medical Physicist, Landauer Medical Physics, Charlotte, NC |
966535 | EG | Nov 2007 | Oct 2008 | Medical Physicist, Genesis Care, US |
966531 | QT | Sep 2008 | Aug 2010 | Chief Medical Physicist, MaineGeneral Health, Augusta, ME |
966521 | SS | Mar 2009 | Oct 2011 | Medical Physicist, Hannleb Physics, Charlotte, NC |
966535 | JC | Mar 2009 | Sep 2011 | Medical Physicist, Elliot Health System, Manchester, NH |
966531 | CL | Sep 2011 | Aug 2013 | Lead Instructor of Physics, ARCH Education, Hong Kong, China |
966521 | MF | Jul 2013 | Feb 2015 | Medical Physicist, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN |
966521 | MC | Aug 2014 | Oct 2015 | Therapeutic Medical Physicist, Landauer Medical Physics, Charlotte, NC |
966521 | WJ | Oct 2016 | Nov 2017 | Medical Physicist, GenesisCare, Greenville, NC |
966531 | JY | Jan 2017 | May 2019 | Assistant Professor of Medical Physics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY |
966521 | KY | Sep 2018 | Sep 2020 | Assistant Professor of Medical Physics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY |
966531 | KM | Jul 2019 | Jul 2021 | Medical Physicist, West Michigan Cancer Center, Kalamazoo, MI |
966521 | AP | Oct 2020 | Feb 2021 | Real Estate Agent, eXp Realty, Greenville, NC |
966521 | MY | Apr 2021 | Apr 2023 | Assistant Professor of Medical Physics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE |
966531 | RC | Jul 2021 | Jul 2023 | Assistant Professor of Medical Physics, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC |