The education and training of clinical medical physicists in 25 European, 2 North American and 2 Australasian countries: similarities and differences

Abstract

Purpose: The clinical medical physicist is part of a team responsible for safe and competent provision of radiation-based diagnostic examinations and therapeutic practices. To ensure that the physicist can provide an adequate service, sufficient education and training is indispensable. The aim of this study is to provide a structured description of the present status of the clinical medical physicist education and training framework in 25 European, 2 North American and 2 Australasian countries.

Methods: For this study, data collection was based on a questionnaire prepared by the European Federation of Organizations in Medical Physics (EFOMP) and filled-in either by the corresponding scientific societies-organizations or by the authors.

Results: In the majority of cases, a qualified medical physicist should have an MSc in medical physics and 1-3 years of clinical experience. Education and training takes place in both universities and hospitals and the total duration of the programs ranges from 2.5 to 9 years. In 56% of all European countries, it is mandatory to hold a diploma or license to work as a medical physicist, the situation being similar in Australasian and 4 states of USA. Generally, there are national registers of medical physicists with inclusion on the register being voluntary. There are renewal mechanisms in the registers usually based on a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) system.

Conclusions: In conclusion, a common policy is followed in general, on topics concerning education and training as well as the practice of the medical physicist profession, notwithstanding the presence of a few differences.