Program Description
The two-year Radiation Oncology Therapeutic Medical Physics Residency Program at UAMS is designed for candidates with a doctoral degree from a CAMPEP-accredited medical physics graduate program who are interested in pursuing careers as Clinical Medical Physicists in Radiation Oncology. This program concentrates on the medical applications of physics in the clinical treatment of cancer patients with radiation.
Brief History and Program Statistics
Our Medical Physics Resident program started in 2002. We require that our residents have Ph.D. degrees from a CAMPEP-accredited medical physics graduate program before applying to our program. Our program was CAMPEP-accredited in April, 2012. Our residents begin their 24-month residency program in July. Since they have their doctoral degree, they are entitled to a yearly salary, including vacation and health insurance, during the two year program.
| Admissions Year | Number of Applicants | Number of Offers | Number Graduated | Board Exam Status | Academic | Initial Placement Clinic | Industrial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 58 | 1 | |||||
| 2023 | 44 | 1 | 1 | Passed | 1 | ||
| 2022 | 43 | 1 | 1 | Passed | 1 | ||
| 2021 | 35 | 1 | 1 | Passed | 1 | ||
| 2020 | 35 | 1 | 1 | Passed | 1 | ||
| 2018 | 36 | 1 | 1 | Passed | 1 | ||
| 2016 | 42 | 1 | 1 | Passed, 2019 | 1 | ||
| 2014 | 28 | 1 | 1 | Passed, 2018 | 1 | ||
| 2012 | 19 | 1 | 1 | Passed, 2016 | 1 | ||
| 2010 | 21 | 1 | 1 | Passed, 2016 | 1 | ||
| 2008 | 9 | 1 | 1 | Passed, 2016 | 1 | ||
| 2006 | 5 | 1 | 1 | Passed, 2011 | 1 | ||
| 2004 | 14 | 1 | 0 | Passed, 2008 | 1 | ||
| 2002 | 7 | 1 | 1 | Passed, 2015 | 1 |
Clinical Training
The training is based on the curriculum developed by CAMPEP and the recommendations of the AAPM*.
*(1) AAPM’s “The Medical Physicist,” (2) AAPM’s “The Roles, Responsibilities, and Status of the Clinical Medical Physicist,” and (3) AAPM Report No. 90, “Essentials and Guidelines for Hospital-Based Medical Physics Training Programs,” which are available from AAPM website www.aapm.org.
During the residency, the resident will learn:
- Measurement and Quantification of radiation
- Radiation Safety
- Linear Accelerator, acceptance testing, calibration and quality assurance
- Imaging for planning and treatment verification
- Brachytherapy, including High Dose Rate (HDR) and Low Dose Rate (LDR)
- Computer assisted treatment planning
- Quality control of the treatment process
- Delivery techniques including:- Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
- Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
- ACCURAY TomoHDA System
- Stereotactic radiosurgery with Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion
- Stereotactic radiosurgery with Brainlab MME
- Stereotactic radiotherapy with Varian TRUEBEAM STX with High Definition MLC
- Special procedures including:- Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy (GRID)
- TBI, TMI, etc.
- Prostate implants
In addition, clinical training will include work on research/clinical projects, carried out under the supervision of the Medical Physics faculty.
Clinical conferences, seminars, small discussion groups, journal clubs and one-on-one instruction are all an integral part of the program. The resident will participate in the following established activities: Physics Division meetings, Treatment Planning conferences, Patient Case conferences, and assigned projects and readings.
Competency
Clinical competency is evaluated by:
- An oral exam styled after ABR oral exam at the end of each of the residency years
- Two oral presentations at the middle and at the end of each clinical rotation
- Raphex Exam at the end of the first and second residency year
Application Procedure
Apply online at the AAPM Medical Physics Residency Application Program (AAPM MP-RAP) by January 1.
Rank our program in the National Match Website (NatMatch) using the institutional code NMSID# 10311 by the deadline.
The Medical Physics Matching Program (the MedPhys Match) places applicants into medical physics residency positions at training sites.
The Match is sponsored and supervised by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the Society of Directors of Academic Medical Physics Programs (SDAMPP). The MedPhys Match is administered on behalf of AAPM and SDAMPP by National Matching Services Inc.
This is a two-year medical physics residency position where the individual will receive training in all clinical aspects related to the practice of Therapeutic Medical Physics (e.g., 3D-CRT, IMRT, SRS, SRT, SBRT, IGRT, Respiratory Gating, and HDR) in an academic radiation oncology department. The ideal candidate should have strong, professional, social and communication skills, along with a commitment to teamwork and collegiality. Candidates must have a Ph.D. from a CAMPEP accredited medical physics graduate program. The training curriculum is based on the recommendations of the AAPM and CAMPEP.
If you have any questions, please contact Ellie Dickinson, Residency Coordinator by phone at 501-526-8831 or by email at eedickinson@uams.edu. You can also contact Program Director Dr. Ganesh Narayanasamy by email at ganesh@uams.edu.