Chief Physicist

It's more than a career, it's a calling
MO-SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis

Worker Type:

Regular

Job Highlights:

$207,000 - $311,000 Per Year (Full-Time)

Medical Physics Leadership Opportunity in Radiation Oncology

SSM Health DePaul Hospital is seeking an exceptional Chief Medical Physicist to provide clinical, operational, and strategic leadership for our Radiation Oncology program. This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced medical physicist to join a respected health system and play a key role in advancing high-quality cancer care for patients throughout the greater St. Louis region. In addition to a rewarding leadership role, the successful candidate will become part of a close-knit, collaborative team known for its supportive culture, strong professional relationships, and shared commitment to delivering exceptional patient care.

Position Highlights

• Leadership role within an established Radiation Oncology program
• Oversight of physics services across five cancer centers serving the greater St. Louis region
• Opportunity to help guide future clinical and technology initiatives
• Exceptional work environment characterized by supportive colleagues, strong interdisciplinary relationships, and a culture of mutual respect
• Collaborative network of physicists and dosimetrists who enjoy working together and sharing expertise across sites
• Competitive compensation and benefits package

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical and operational oversight for medical physics services across five cancer centers serving the greater St. Louis region.
• Support site-based teams typically composed of one radiation oncologist, one dosimetrist, and one medical physicist, while promoting standardization, quality, and collaboration across the network.
• Direct quality assurance programs for treatment delivery systems, imaging equipment, and treatment planning systems.
• Lead implementation of new technologies and clinical initiatives.

Equipment

SSM Health offers advanced equipment, including:

• Varian TrueBeam linear accelerators at all St. Louis locations
• Aria Oncology Information System (shared database for all St. Louis sites)
• Eclipse Treatment Planning System (shared database for all St. Louis sites)
• AlignRT or IDENTIFY SGRT
• Elekta Flexitron HDR afterloader
• MIM ProtégéAI auto-contouring and MIM Maestro
• RadCalc 3D Monte Carlo
• Sun Nuclear quality assurance equipment

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Medical Physics, Physics, or related discipline.
• ABR certification in Therapeutic Medical Physics or equivalent.
• Demonstrated expertise in clinical radiation oncology physics.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

Why SSM Health?
At SSM Health, our mission is to reveal the healing presence of God through exceptional health care services. The successful candidate will join a mission-driven organization committed to delivering outstanding clinical care.

About St. Louis

The St. Louis region offers an exceptional quality of life with affordable housing, outstanding schools, major sports teams, extensive parks and outdoor recreation, and a vibrant cultural community. Residents enjoy the amenities of a large metropolitan area while maintaining a manageable cost of living.

Job Summary:
Leads assigned staff in performing activities or tasks in radiation therapy services. Supports all physics aspects of patient treatment including consultation with radiation oncologists, calculation of radiation doses, design and fabrication of treatment aids and assurance of the accuracy of all treatment parameters.

Job Responsibilities and Requirements:

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leads or coordinates shift operations of assigned activities, resources, and/or associates.
• Reviews patient charts to ensure that the prescription carried out per the physician intent. Participates in chart rounds to ensure the fulfillment of the prescription and review any changes in dose and patient set-up.
• Evaluates all equipment for continued utility, appropriateness, reliable performance, age and condition and make recommendations on practical life span, obsolescence and replacement.
• Determines the need for, specifies, and accesses dosimetric and treatment planning equipment including, but not limited to, measurement instruments to calibrate all treatment equipment and monitoring devices, computerized treatment planning systems, computerized water phantom systems with appropriate ionization chambers and diodes, film densitometry systems, etc.
• Participates in the specification, selection, and acceptance of radiation-producing machines, accessories, and computerized treatment-planning system. Supervises arrangements for proper maintenance of radiation treatment equipment.
• Provides advice and consult with physicians regarding directions to technical staff when patients are being planned or treated.
• Develops protocol for performing and checking unit calculations to ensure all calculations agree with written prescription.
• Completes all required documentation relating to radiation treatment plans and equipment. Participates in the clinical instruction of newly hired radiation staff and radiation therapy students.
• Works in a constant state of alertness and safe manner.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION

• Master's degree in Medical Physics

EXPERIENCE

• Three years' experience

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Frequent lifting/carrying and pushing/pulling objects weighing 0-25 lbs.
• Frequent sitting, standing, walking, reaching and repetitive foot/leg and hand/arm movements.
• Frequent use of vision and depth perception for distances near (20 inches or less) and far (20 feet or more) and to identify and distinguish colors.
• Frequent use of hearing and speech to share information through oral communication. Ability to hear alarms, malfunctioning machinery, etc.
• Frequent keyboard use/data entry.
• Occasional bending, stooping, kneeling, squatting, twisting and gripping.
• Occasional lifting/carrying and pushing/pulling objects weighing 25-50 lbs.
• Rare climbing.

REQUIRED PROFESSIONAL LICENSE AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS

State of Work Location: Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wisconsin

• Diagnostic Medical Physics - American Board of Radiology (ABR)
• Or
• Medical Health Physics (MHP) Certification - The American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP)
• Or
• Member of the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (MCCPM) - The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM)
• Or
• Therapeutic Medical Physics - American Board of Radiology (ABR)

Work Shift:
Day Shift (United States of America)

Job Type:

Employee

Department:

4240000128 Physics/Dosimetry

Scheduled Weekly Hours:
40

SSM Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. SSM Health provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Click here to learn more.