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Improving Health Through Medical Physics

Medical Physicist

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  3. Definition of a Qualified Medical Physicist

Definition of a Qualified Medical Physicist

For the purpose of providing clinical professional services, a Qualified Medical Physicist (QMP) is an individual who is competent to independently provide clinical professional services in one or more of the subfields* of medical physics. A QMP is qualified to practice only in the subfield(s) in which they are certified. The subfields of medical physics are:

  1. Therapeutic Medical Physics
  2. Diagnostic Medical Physics
  3. Nuclear Medical Physics
  4. Medical Health Physics
  5. Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics

The scope of practice of each subfield is defined in the AAPM Professional Policy 17 "Scope of Practice of Clinical Medical Physics".

A Qualified Medical Physicist meets each of the following credentials:

  1. Has earned a master's or doctoral degree in physics, medical physics, biophysics, radiological physics, medical health physics, or equivalent disciplines from an accredited college or university; and
  2. Has been granted certification in the specific subfield(s) of medical physics with its associated medical health physics aspects by an appropriate national certifying body and abides by the certifying body's requirements for continuing education.

The following national certifying bodies have been deemed appropriate:

  1. For the subfield of Therapeutic Medical Physics, certification by:
    • The American Board of Radiology; or
    • The American Board of Medical Physics; or
    • The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine.
  2. For the subfield of Diagnostic Medical Physics, certification by:
    • The American Board of Radiology; or
    • The American Board of Medical Physics; or
    • The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine.
  3. For the subfield of Nuclear Medical Physics, certification by:
    • The American Board of Radiology; or
    • The American Board of Medical Physics; or
    • The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine; or
    • The American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine.
  4. For the subfield of Medical Health Physics, certification by:
    • The American Board of Radiology, any subfield of medical physics; or
    • The American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Protection; or
    • The American Board of Medical Physics, Medical Health Physics; or
    • The American Board of Health Physics including a minimum of three years relevant experience in the subfield of medical health physics.
  5. For the subfield of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics, certification by:
    • The American Board of Radiology, Diagnostic Medical Physics; or
    • The American Board of Medical Physics, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics; or
    • The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine.
1Previous certification categories in medical physics included radiological physics, therapeutic radiological physics, medical nuclear physics, diagnostic radiological physics and diagnostic imaging physics.