Governance

A Qualified Medical Physicist (QMP) is an individual who is competent to independently provide clinical professional services in one or more of the subfields of medical physics, including Diagnostic Medical Physics, Nuclear Medical Physics, Therapeutic Medical Physics, or Medical Health Physics. QMPs have met academic and training requirements, and have been granted certification in a specific subfield(s) of medical physics by an appropriate certification body as described in AAPM Professional Policy 1 ¹.

Some institutions may use the services of an individual who is not a qualified medical physicist for certain clinical activities. The services they provide and the location where they provide these services are limited based on safety and patient care considerations and the availability of direct or personal QMP supervision where necessary.

The Medical Physicist Assistant (MPA) is an individual who has completed relevant didactic education, and has attained practical clinical medical physics knowledge through specific training and appropriate demonstration of competency under the supervision of a QMP. Relevant didactic education may include a Bachelor's or higher college degree from an accredited college or university and/or certification in a related specialty such as radiation therapy, radiology, nuclear medicine, or health physics. The MPA performs tasks in support of a QMP in the professional practice of clinical medical physics. In all such circumstances, the MPA must be appropriately supervised and the range of tasks must be carefully defined by a QMP who is certified in the same subfield of practice in which the MPA is working. Levels of supervision provided (personal, direct, or general) will vary depending on the specific task, experience of the MPA and professional judgment of the QMP supervisor in accordance with guidance of the Medical Physics Practice Guideline on this subject. All medical physics tasks performed by the MPA must be reviewed in a timely manner, and reports must be co-signed by the QMP supervisor, who assumes full responsibility and liability for the submitted content.