Current and Future Requirements for Medical Physics Career

[doublemint]

Hello

Currently I am nearing the end of my BSc in Physics and I am leaning towards medical physics. I have heard that a MSc in Medical Physics is sufficient to land a job in the hospital, but recently I talked to a PhD candidate and she told me that nowadays a PhD is required to get a job in Canada while the US, some places accept masters degree.
Can anyone tell me if this is true?

Thanks
DoubleMint

 

[Choppy]

The way the field is heading, you more-or-less need to complete a residency in order to get a full time job as a medical physicist. Most centers will also look for board certification, which you write after finishing an accredited residency.

The most direct route into a medical physics residency is through a medical physics gradute program. There are cases of people from other fields getting in, but that route is more of a post-doc combined with clinical training and will often look for a very specific skill set and soon (2014), to qualify for board exams, you will need to have completed BOTH an accredited graduate program AND residency.

Some schools are starting to offer an MSc combined with clinical training under the label of a "professional doctorate." This provides an option for students who want a guaranteed residency and who are willing to pay for it.

Then there's the issue of competition. Medical physics is a competative field. PhDs tend to be more versatile compared with MScs. A lot of job descriptions will read: MSc minimum, PhD preferred. This is likely what your PhD candidate friend was referring to.

 

[doublemint]

Thanks Choppy. I am currently debating whether I should go into a masters in nuclear physics/engineering or medical physics. Then from there decided if a PhD in medical physics is what i really want.