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.