Medical Physicist

Southeast Health•Dothan, AL

About The Position

he Medical Physicist is called upon to use applied scientific techniques to assist physicians in the safe diagnosis and treatment of patients by researching, developing, and evaluating new analytical techniques. The Medical Physicist understands the importance of accurate treatment planning, delivery and dose verification. They work with patients and with medical, technical and administrative staff providing advice about radiation protection. To make sure everyone is up to speed, the Medical Physicist will make education an ongoing priority in order to train and update healthcare, scientific and technical staff. The responsibility to manage radiotherapy quality assurance programs is of the Medical Physicist. The Medical Physicist will use mathematical modelling to solve real-life situations. Maintaining equipment is among the topic of proper occupational safety practices. The Medical Physicist writes reports federal and state agencies use to develop and implement radiation protection regulations and standards. Regulated entities also use these reports for demonstrating regulatory compliance. The Medical Physicist will teach healthcare, technical and administrative staff competencies to adhere to the Radiology Oncology department safety policies. Act to coordinate production and set direction for research and development of the lab.

Requirements

One (1) year experience as a Medical Physicist or Junior Medical Physicist
Master’s degree in medical physics or related field
Advanced knowledge of treatment units and simulators and awareness of treatment unit's limitations in clinical situations.
Advanced knowledge of acceptance testing, commissioning and calibration of linacs, simulators and brachytherapy sources, clinical dosimetry of external beams and implant sources, patient setup, computerized treatment planning for special procedures that may include: HDR, LDR, total body irradiation (TBI), stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic radiotherapy, gamma knife and cyberknife.
Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with physicians, staff, patients and their families.
Excellent problem-solving abilities and analytical skills to compare data.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience in Radiation Safety or as a Radiation Safety Officer.

Responsibilities

Directs and standardizes calibration of radiation producing equipment, ensures dose accuracy, patient safety, and maintains quality assurance (QA) program.
Provides education and training in medical radiation physics and oversees department radiation safety and data management.
Performs delivery of non-standard, standard and complicated treatment planning and techniques which may include high dose radiation (HDR), low dose radiation (LDR) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS).
Performs radiation surveys of patients exposed to radioactive sources; regularly performs radiation surveys of treatment rooms.
Calibrates various therapy machines, measures instruments against national standards, and measures therapy beam data for treatment planning purposes.
Leads and facilitates the troubleshooting process, works collaboratively with Medical Engineers.
Operates and performs annual quality assurance (QA) on equipment as required.
Writes specifications and commissions therapy equipment and accessories and designs new techniques and ancillary equipment.
Performs and oversees commissioning and acceptance testing for therapies and accessories, and for standardizing equipment calibration.
Collaborates with other senior staff to develop and maintain a QA program for departmental treatment modalities and imaging devices.
Works with Physicians to gather data, analyze outcomes and develop new processes and protocols.
Develops, implements and oversees the department radiation safety policies.
Tracks and monitors data or parameters directly affecting patient dose and verifies algorithms used in pertinent dose calculations.
Enters and validates data in treatment planning systems.
Performs data collection and provides benchmark information for Institute, National and International protocols; performs physics measurements and oversight for special procedures and leads special programs as assigned.
Consults with Radiation Oncologists and Physicians on target delineation, modeling and treatment planning.
Establishes processes and procedures for acquiring high quality images for treatment planning and treatment delivery; monitors and measures the performance of all imaging equipment.
Develops and implements new techniques for treatment delivery, and assists with designing and modifying radiotherapy treatment rooms to incorporate radiation protection standards required by national protocols; makes recommendations regarding acquisition and implementation for major equipment and supportive technology.
Provides education lectures to staff therapists and associated allied staff and provides mandatory radiation safety training.
Assists with accreditation process, departmental QA activities, and radiation safety committee as assigned; leads the development of a new competency or assists in completion of competencies for other staff.
Ensures compliance with all state and federal regulating and accrediting bodies.