Medical Physicist Oncology Lead

Job Title

Major Responsibilities:

• Acts as a resource to employees and students, which includes training/orienting and providing day-to-day work direction. Assigns, monitors, and reviews progress and accuracy of work, monitors productivity, maintains appropriate staffing levels, directs efforts and provides guidance on more complex issues.
• Assists with human resource responsibilities, which may include interviewing and selection of new employees, staff development, providing performance feedback, resolution of employee concerns, and employee morale. Assists in interpreting department policies and procedures, and advises and updates staff on procedural changes.
• Performs delivery of non-standard, standard and complicated treatment planning and techniques which may include high dose radiation (HDR), low dose radiation (LDR) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Performs radiation surveys of patients exposed to radioactive sources; regularly performs radiation surveys of treatment rooms.
• Directs and standardizes equipment calibration for various therapy machines, measures instruments against national standards, and measures therapy beam data for treatment planning purposes. Leads and facilitates the troubleshooting process, works collaboratively with Medical Engineers. Operates and performs quality assurance (QA) on equipment as required.
• Writes specifications and commissions therapy equipment and accessories and designs new techniques and ancillary equipment. Performs and oversees commissioning and acceptance testing for therapies and accessories, and for standardizing equipment calibration.
• Collaborates with other senior staff to develop and maintain a QA program for departmental treatment modalities and imaging devices. Works with Physicians to gather data, analyze outcomes and develop new processes and protocols. Develops, implements and oversees department radiation safety policies. Consults with Radiation Oncologists and Physicians on target delineation, modeling and treatment planning.
• Tracks and monitors data or parameters directly affecting patient dose and verifies algorithms used in pertinent dose calculations. Enters and validates data in treatment planning systems. Performs data collection and provides benchmark information for institute, national and international protocols; performs physics measurements and oversight for special procedures and leads special programs as assigned.
• Establishes processes and procedures for acquiring high quality images for treatment planning and treatment delivery; monitors and measures the performance of all imaging equipment. Ensures compliance with all state and federal regulating and accrediting bodies.
• Develops and implements new techniques for treatment delivery, and assists with designing and modifying radiotherapy treatment rooms to incorporate radiation protection standards required by national protocols; makes recommendations regarding acquisition and implementation for major equipment and supportive technology. Leads the process for commissioning and acceptance testing for new therapies and accessories.
• Provides education lectures to staff therapists and associated allied staff and provides mandatory radiation safety training. Assists with accreditation process, departmental QA activities, and radiation safety committee as assigned; leads the development of a new competency or assists in completion of competencies for other staff.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures. Age-specific information is developed further in the departmental job standards.

Licensure, Registration, and/or Certification Required:

• Medical Physicist certification issued by the American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP), or
• Medical Physicist (CMP-ABR) certification issued by The American Board of Radiology (ABR), or
• Medical Physicist (CMP-CCPM) certification issued by The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM).

Education Required:

• Master's Degree in Medical Physics or related field.

Experience Required:

• Typically requires 5 years of experience in a Medical Physicist Oncology position, in a radiation therapy clinical setting.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

• Advanced knowledge of treatment units and simulators and awareness of treatment unit's limitations in clinical situations.
• Advanced knowledge of acceptance testing, commissioning and calibration of linacs, simulators and brachytherapy sources, clinical dosimetry of external beams and implant sources, patient setup, and computerized treatment planning for special procedures that may include: HDR, LDR, total body irradiation (TBI), stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic radiotherapy, gamma knife and cyberknife.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with physicians, staff, patients and their families.
• Excellent problem solving abilities and analytical skills to compare data.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• Must lift up to 20 lbs. frequently and up to 50 lbs. occasionally.
• May push up to 500 lbs. 50 to 200 feet.
• Exposed to mechanical, electrical, and radiation hazards.
• Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job.

This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties.