Open Medical Physics Residency Positions 2009-2010
It’s that time of the year again. No, I’m not talking about the holiday season. I’m talking about medical physics residency application season! Ho, ho ho! Medical physics residency programs are looking to fill positions for next year, so as a reminder to those who are currently applying, here is a round up of CAMPEP-accredited programs (in alphabetical order) currently accepting applications and their deadlines. Direct links are provided to official application information for programs that provide such information on their websites. Duke University Medic

Practice ABR Radiologic Physics Oral Board Exam
The University of Texas MD Anderson Center is offering a Diagnostic Radiologic Physics Mock Oral Board Exam the weekend of April 17-18, 2010. Participation is limited, so sign up early. The practice exam dates have been added to the MDPhysics Event Calendar. The mock exam aims to provide the student with a simulation of the ABR oral exam environment by using similar exam format, questions and board-certified examiners. This mock exam has been offered internally to physics residents and junior faculty with great success, and participation is now being extended outside MD Anderson. All proceeds will support medical phy

How Well Do You Know Varian and Elekta?
Varian and Elekta are two world leading (and competing) companies pioneering significant clinical solutions for treating cancer in radiation oncology. Any medical physicist is as familiar with the terms “Varian” and “Elekta” as he is with “x-ray” and “radiation.” In essence, Varian and Elekta are the “giants” in our industry…but how much do you really know about these companies whose names are ubiquitous with medical physics and whose products most of us use everyday? Elekta was founded in 1972 by the late Lars Leksell, Professor of Neurosurgey a

Lack of HDR Training in Residency Program (For Physicians and Medical Physicists)
If you graduate from a residency program that does not offer or use an HDR after-loader for patient treatments, what problems, if any, could you encounter at your first job? The answer is simple, if you are expected to treat patients with an HDR after-loader as part of your job responsibilities, you are not qualified to be listed as an Authorized User (AU) in the HDR material license, and hence you cannot independently treat patients with an HDR after-loader. That is, you are not legally able to fulfill this part of your job description. It’s a potentially embarrassing circumstance in addition to one that may inconvenience physician scheduling. According to NRC 10 CFR part 3

Medical Event Criteria in Prostate Seed Implant / Prostate Brachytherapy
Prostate brachytherapy implant is not going to be perfect all the time. The routine way to check the accuracy of an implant is to obtain a CT scan of the prostate after the implant, then run a post-treatment plan and compare it with the pre-treatment plan. Discrepancy in the delivered dose to the prostate (as well as to the surrounding organs) between the post and pre-plans could create a medical event or misadministration if one or both of the following NRC rules are not met: 10 CFR Part 35.3045 (a)(1)(i): The target (prostate, in this case) receives a dose that was less than 80 percent of the prescribed dose. 10 CFR Part 35.3045 (a)(3): Other organs or t