Medical Physics-General questions from an ultimate noob.

[LameWhiteDude]

Hi all, I'm brand new to the forums and just had a few questions about the field of Medical Physics. I know there's a thread on this topic on another one of the forums, but its a little intimidating and overwhelming to someone as unfamiliar with the field and associated terminology as me. A little background on me: I'm not young, and my interest in the field stems from 10 years as a radiologic technologist. I'm currently working on an A.S.(I know) with a physics curriculum, and then plan on transferring to a state university to complete the BS. Searches on the internet reveal there are quite a few universities offering graduate programs in Medical Physics.

Would an MS in Medical Physics be considered adequate qualifications to obtain a job in the field?

How is the job market? Should I reconsider?

Any recommendations on grad schools?

 

[Choppy]

Would an MS in Medical Physics be considered adequate qualifications to obtain a job in the field?

It is adequate - especially if your interests are more along the clinical side of things than towards research. However, MSc graduates are less competative for many positions (including residencies) than PhD graduates and so you may not get your pick of the best jobs, especially when the economy slows down.

How is the job market? Should I reconsider?

In my opinion the job market is going to grow over the next decade due to the increasing demand for radiation therapy and its associated technology. Others disagree with me and worry that there are too many graduate programs with too many students, and some students will end up without jobs. You really should read the Medical Physics thread - especially the last few pages - to get a better idea of the arguments.

Any recommendations on grad schools?

The ideal path into medical physics is one that leads towards certification by the ABR or CCPM (at least in North America). For students entering graduate school today, enrollment in an accredited graduate program wiil be required in order to write the certification exams. So check out the CAMPEP website and from there you can investigate the different schools.