Medical physicists work in clinical, research, and educational settings using physics principles related to radiation and imaging to diagnose and treat diseases. They require a bachelor's degree in physics followed by a master's degree or PhD and 5 years of experience, usually through a residency program. There are good employment opportunities for medical physicists due to projected growth in the field and many current physicists nearing retirement.

1. Medical Physicist

2. Nature of Work Clinical Setting Research Education

3. The Clinical Setting Diagnosis Treatment Radiotherapy

4. Research Current Hot Topics: Cancer- Chemotherapy Heart disease- CT scans Mental Illness- Gamma Knife Radiation Dosages Present in Foods Updates in Radiation Technology

5. Education Public Information Sessions Training Residents Post-secondary Teaching

6. Salary (based on national median salaries) M.S. Degree: $115,000 PhD: $124,000 M.S. Degree w/ Board Cert.: $162,000 PhD w/ Board Cert.: $175,000

7. Employment Opportunities Research facilities Regulation agencies Universities Environmental Protection Agency OSHA Nuclear Technology Hospital Setting

8. Coursework: Fall Freshman Year (based on Bachelor of Science UNC-Chapel Hill curriculum) Calculus II Mechanical Physics I Lifetime Fitness English Composition and Rhetoric A

9. Coursework: Spring Freshman Year Calculus III Introduction to Electricity and Magnetism Economics Foreign Language Enhancement Course English Composition and Rhetoric B

10. Coursework: Fall Sophomore Year Differential Equations Modern Physics Western Civilization Philosophy

11. Coursework: Spring Sophomore Year Advanced Mechanical Physics Numerical Technology Sociology English Literature

12. Coursework: Fall Junior Year Mathematical Methodology I Electricity and Magnetism I U.S. Diversity Course Electronics I Art, Music, Architecture, or Drama course

13. Coursework: Spring Junior Year Mathematical Methodology II Electricity and Magnetism II Quantum Mechanics Communications Course European History

14. Coursework: Fall Senior Year Thermodynamics Advanced Laboratory I Quantum Applications African, Middle East, or Latin American history course

15. Coursework: Spring Senior Year Advanced Lab II Current Issues Experiential Education

16. Path to Becoming a Medical Physicist 4 years undergraduate school with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Physics (course load outlined in previous slides) 4 years graduate school with a Masters Degree in Science or a PhD 5 years of experience in the field (usually a residency program or research project in the field of biophysics or medical physics)

17. Job Outlook Every year, between 250 and 300 positions in medical physics become available. This is a growth of 130% in the field. 50% of current medical physicists are over the age of fifty, so there is a high probability that even more medical physicist positions will become available for students currently entering college.

18. Sources http://aapm.org/medical_physicist/default.asp http://medicalphysics.duke.edu/careers/demand.html http://www.physics.unc.edu/academics/ugrad/bs.php http://physics.nist.gov/MajResProj/Biophysics/biophys.html