(Wednesday, 8/1/2018) 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Room: Room 209
The medical physics workforce comprises approximately 24,000 workers worldwide and 8,200 in the United States. The occupation is a recognized, established, and mature profession that is undergoing growth and change that is driven by scientific, technical, and medical advances. Presently, the workforce is adequate to meet societal needs. However, data are emerging that suggest potential risks of shortages and other issues that could develop within a few years. Some of the factors influencing the workforce are well established, such as the increasing number of incident cancers thereby increasing workload, while others, such as the future utilization of radiation treatments and changes in healthcare economic policies, are uncertain and make the future status of the workforce difficult to forecast beyond the next several years.
The session will examine the major factors governing supply and demand for medical physicists, workforce projections, and other information of relevance to planning the future workforce. Because the supply of new workers is governed by educational and training pathways, graduate education, post-doctoral training, and residency training are presented, along with trends in state and federal support for research and education. We speculate on the future outlook of the workforce and provide recommendations regarding future actions pertaining to the future medical physics workforce. The session will conclude with a moderated panel discussion with audience participation.
Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the General Characteristics of the Workforce
2. Review Current and Future Issues in Education and Training Pathways
3. Discuss Projections of the Medical Workforce and Future Outlook
4. Summary of Strategies and Tactics to Maintain an Adequate Workforce
Handouts
Keywords
Not Applicable / None Entered.
Taxonomy
Not Applicable / None Entered.
Contact Email
