Governance

AAPM strongly supports laws and regulations that authorize only Qualified Medical Physicists (QMP)¹ to practice clinical medical physics².

Clinical medical physicists are responsible for ensuring the safe and effective delivery of ionizing and nonionizing radiation to achieve a diagnostic or therapeutic result as prescribed in patient care. Involvement of a QMP in clinical practice allows the beneficial use of radiation in medicine, improving quality and minimizing the risk of harm to patients, medical personnel, and the public by optimizing use of It is in the interest of public health and safety to ensure that individuals entrusted with these responsibilities meet established standards of education, training, and professional practice.

AAPM supports and endorses programs such as licensure and registration which: define the authorized scope of practice of clinical medical physics; require medical physicists to hold and maintain certification from an appropriate board, engage in appropriate continuing education, and adhere to established standards of ethics and professionalism; and provide due process for revocation of the license or registration.

AAPM provides definitions for medical physics subspecialties and appropriate board certifications¹. Scope of practice is defined in AAPM practice guidelines². Medical physicists must be required to obtain continuing education that satisfies American College of Radiology practice parameters³. The AAPM Code of Ethics provides recommended ethical standards for medical physicists⁴. To provide for due process, AAPM recommends that the body responsible for licensing or registering medical physicists organize an oversight or advisory committee of licensed or registered AAPM  also encourages government and regulators to consult such committees when updating and maintaining their programs.

The training process to become a QMP requires trainees to obtain supervised work experience in clinical medical physics. AAPM recommends that limited licenses or limited registrations be made available to individuals in training. These limited licenses or limited registrations must require supervision by a QMP in accordance with AAPM practice guidelines⁵. If limited licenses or limited registrations are available to other individuals who assist the QMP, but are not in training to become a QMP such as medical physicist assistants, these individuals must be supervised by a QMP in accordance with AAPM practice guidelines⁶. All work must be performed in accordance with the scope of practice², which requires that certain activities can only be performed by a QMP.

AAPM's position supports and complements those of other national medical, radiological, and regulatory professional organizations. The American College of Radiology "strongly supports the concept of state licensure or equivalent rulemaking that recognizes board certification for medical"⁷. The  American  Medical Association has adopted the policy principle that  "health profession occupations should be licensed if the unregulated practice of that profession or occupation would pose a risk to the life, health or safety of the "⁸ The Conference of Radiation Control  Program Directors supports the best practice of granting licensure or registration only to board-certified medical physicists⁹. 

References:

1. Definition of A Qualified Medical Physicist. PP 1-J: American Association of Physicists in Medicine; 2018.
2. Clements JB, Baird CT, de Boer SF, et al. AAPM medical physics practice guideline a.: Scope of practice for clinical medical physics. J Appl Clin Med Phys. 2018;19(6):11-25.
3. ACR Practice Parameter for Continuing Medical Education (CME). Reston, VA: American College of Radiology; 2017.
4. Skourou C, Sherouse GW, Bahar N, et al. Code of ethics for the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (Revised): Report of Task Group 109. Med Phys. 2019;46(4):e79-e93.
5. Pfeiffer D, Al-Hallaq H, Halvorsen PH, et AAPM Medical Physics Practice Guideline b: Levels of supervision for medical physicists in clinical training. J Appl Clin Med Phys. 2021;22(6):11-15.
6. Seibert JA, Blatnica AP, Clements JB, et al. AAPM medical physics practice guideline 7.a.: Supervision of medical physicist assistants. J Appl Clin Med Phys. 2020;21(7):11-15.
7. Digest of Council Actions 2011-2020. American College of Radiology Annual Meeting; 2020.
8. House of Delegates Proceedings. American Medical Association Annual Convention; 1984.
9. Part B: Registration (Licensure) of Radiation Machine Facilities, Services, and Associated Healthcare Professionals. In. Suggested State Regulations for Control of Radiation, Volume I: Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors; 2009.