Working as a medical physicist in the U.S

[Indian Scholar]

I am currently studying in India . I am almost done with my Master in medical physics.
After i finish i want to work in the U.S as a medical physicist. But i think it is not possible , because , first of all , my university is not CAMPEP accredited.
But can anyone tell me , if I want to work in U.S will I have to do, my Master's there again or is there any alternative. ?
is there an option for residency course ?
Any form of help will be truly appreciated.

 

[Choppy]

Generally speaking (and coming from a Canadian) if you want to work in the US you should be aiming for certification with the ABR, and this will require you to have gone through an accredited residency program. These residency programs are rather competitive right now and in the foreseeable future. The general consensus seems to be that PhDs from accredited medical physics programs are the preferred candidates for residencies in most cases - I know they are in our program - but there are efforts underway to get more MSc candidates into residencies.

While I don't think it's completely impossible to get into a residency for an individual in your position, I also don't think you'll be very competitive without first going through an accredited program and so your odds are in the "highly unlikely" ballpark, I'm afraid.

Probably the best option I can see is getting yourself into an accredited PhD program, which would allow you to build on your current experience and skill set and then put you in an ideal position for a residency when you get out. That, of course, is a severe commitment.

 

[Indian Scholar]

Hey thank you so much for the reply . It really means a lot to me .
Well, phd sounds like a very good option .
Frankly speaking , i always felt , in this field that , after years of clinical practice one can acquire strong knowledge in this field , that is why I felt with time I can be much more knowledgeable in this field compared to the level of knowledge I have right now. What I meant to say is ,so now if I apply for phd right now , that is right after my masters degree ,do I need to have very good knowledge in this field .Does any institute i want join expect me to have high level of knowledge or will the institute be kind enough to accept me with a certain level of knowledge that I possesses and think that after enrollment to the phd program i will learn more.
Hey , I'm sorry if my questions sound a bit odd , and out of frame.

 

[Choppy]

Like any graduate programs, getting into a CAMPEP-accredited program is a competitive process - perhaps even more so in some respects given that medical physics is a well-paying profession. Generally speaking the programs are set up such that incoming students are expected to have a core background in physics equivalent to an undergraduate degree, but all of the profession-specific knowledge can be gained as a part of the program. Having done some previous work in medical physics can certainly make you more competitive.

The real question for someone in your position would be whether or not you would receive credit for coursework that you've already done towards your MSc. I suspect some schools will be willing to recognize it, allowing you to jump into your PhD project sooner, while others will not and will require you to start over. You'll have to talk to people in each of the programs that you're interested into see where they stand on it. I know in our program if the previous coursework was not part of an accredited program, they're not recognized.

 

[Indian Scholar]

Hello. Thank you so much for your reply . I will now start inquiring with the colleges in U.S. Thank you for the head start.