From: wrg@pan.ecn.purdue.edu (William R Geisler)
Newsgroups: sci.med.physics
Subject: Responses:  Med. phy. survey
Date: 26 Sep 92 20:03:47 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network


 Here is the long awaited survey response to my questions  regarding
 medical physics programs.  First, allow me to apologize for the long delay. 
 This semester (like most) has been quite busy.  (Boy, Anatomy and Physiology
 is a fairly tough course!  Interesting, though.)

	The format of the response is as follows: 
		-Where to obtain info. on med. phy. schools
		-Information from individuals (those who know!)
		-Exactly what I asked (appended to the end)

	(I did not include responses sent to this news group.  Also, this
         is somewhat long.)


		A:   Where to Look for Medical Physics Schools

	None of these references are complete, but useful and with varying 
            degrees of information.

		1)  Petersons' Guide to Graduate Schools in Business, Education,
                    Health and Law  (1992).  Lists 20-30 schools offering 
                    medical physics degrees.  Gives a fair discription of
                    research and specialinterest information. 

		2)  Barrons Guide to Graduate Schools.  I haven't had a chance 
                    look at this one yet.  You're on your own.

		3)   Health Physics News Letter.  (Sorry, I don't know what 
                     issue #.)  Lists many schools offering B.S., MS, PhD in
                     med. phy, phy, bioengineering, public health,...  Claims 
                     Claims to be complete (it's not, but does list ~50
                     schools).  Only gives names and addresses to contact.

		4)  American Association of Physicists in Medicine (address 
                    obtainable from Physics Today--see seminar announcements). 
                    I recently sent in my student application.  Haven't 
                    obtained any info. regarding schools yet.


		B:  Information From Those Who Know

	I would like to thank those people who took the time to give the 
        following responses.  (Thanks Carl and Ian.)



From:  Carl Landis       email address:  ad198@yfn.ysu.edu

Bill,
Hope this helps:

1.  University of Kentucky
    M.S. Radiological Medical Physics (1981)
    M.S. is highest degree in medical physics

2.  Most concentration in rad. therapy but had academics and hands-on
experience in radiology and nuclear medicine.

3.  T.A. in physics department.  Another student with a chemistry
background T.A.'ed in chemistry department.

4.  At the time we had a "practicuum" which was essentially the same
as a residency.  We had to complete the practicuum successfully before
obtaining your degree.  It was proceeded by two years of academics.

5.  My impressions:  Very positive for all the categories you have
mentioned.  I was very much at home stepping into my first job as
a medical physicist.  Lexington, KY is a beautiful place.

6.  Sure, you may use my name.  I have recently been corresponding
with a few prospective students as it is.

*******

I have been told by one of the above-mentioned students that the
info the AAPM has on programs is fairly well outdated.  Are you
aware of this?  He said several of the phone numbers are discon-
nected and one rings up a modem.

Good luck on the survey!

Carl F. Landis, II
Medical Physics Dept.
Southside Medical Center
345 Oak Hill Ave.
Youngstown, OH 44501-0990




From:Ian Borchardt    email address:   iborchar@physics.adelaide.edu.au


Sorry, but I decided not to submit one since our group has only just
started up (not to mention being on another continent), but if you really
want some answers, then here goes.....

Institution:    Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics,
                University of Adelaide,
                Adelaide,
                South Australia, 5000,
                Australia.

Degrees Offered:

The University of Adelaide offers only one specialist medical physics
degree: Master of Medical and Health Physics, which is a one-and-a-half
year coursework degree with a strong research component.  Minimum
requirement is a B.Sc.(Hons) in physics.

The University also offers other degrees with the Medical Physics
research group, namely Bachelor of Science (Honours), Master of Science
(Research), and Doctor of Philosophy.  However these are all degrees in
"Physics" (due to an accident of history there are _no_ Departments
of Medical Physics in any Australian university.

[Brief aside: currently I hold a B.Sc.(Hons) in Physics and am working
toward a Ph.D in Physics if you want to place my level of experience.
I am also a Hospital Physicist in a Radiotherapy department.]

Specialties:

The current specialty of the research group is in radiotherapy based
applications.  This is because the Medical Physics group grew out of a
collaberation between the Department of Medical Physics of the Royal
Adelaide Hospital  (which primarily assists the Radiotherapy Department
there), and the University on a number of Honours degree research projects.
This relationship was formalized about two years ago with the appointment of
the head of the hospital department as an associate professor of the
university [aside: remember - australian academic ranks].

The Masters of Medical and Health Physics was started this year.  It
however is a collaberation between the University of Adelaide, the Royal
Adelaide Hospital, and the newly-formed University of South Australia
(formerly the South Australian Institute of Technology).  It has provided
other researchers (both local and interstate) with a "pool" of research
students in other topics (eg: Nuclear Medicine SPECT cameras, IVNAA,
radiology, heavy metal uptake studies, etc).  It is probable that future
research students will enter these fields in the pursuit of a higher
degree ("administered" through the Medical Physics group).

Financial Support for Students:

[Hopefully this is what I translate the following to mean:
>               -  Type and availability of support (T.A. in particular
                  department,  possibility of T.A. in another department
                  [physics, if phy. dept. is separate], some fellowships,
                  no guaranteed support,... ]

Research students are predominently supported by APRAs (a government
scholarship).  Research is currently supported by the concerned
institutions, but major government grants are expected to be forthcoming.
Tutor positions [TAs ?] are available (to those whose APRA has expired) but
these are in general physics.  Casual tutoring and demonstrating are
also available.

The majority of the members of the group are also working (either full
or part time) in a medical physics field and are therefore not unduly
concerned about support.

Availability of Residency Program:

The group is based in a teaching hospital (off-campus), but no actual
residency program is offered.  However the Masters of Medical and Health
Physics is considered accreditation by the Australian College of Physical
Scientists and Engineers in Medicine for being employed as a hospital
physicist.

My impression of the Medical Physics group:

The research group is only just starting up (I am only the second Ph.D.
candidate there) and is therefore small and currently undistinguished.
However we are growing bigger and better each year.  The courses are
attracting interest from overseas and interstate (an interstate attempt
to set up a course similiar to the M.Sc. (Medical & Health Physics) failed
catastrophically).  It has yet to establish a firm research base (with
technical support) but this is slowly being solved.

Adelaide is a great city/town to live in.  UnivAd is great.  (Advice
to any people wishing to join the group - do it through UnivAd not UniSA).

Good assistance could probably be given in finding a job, but no actual
service is provided (it's more reliant on the fact that eveyone can know
everyone else in Australia).

We can proudly say that 100% of our higher degree graduates have found jobs
- noone has yet graduated with a higher degree yet.   =8)  =8)

Anyone interested in knowing more can either:

        send email to   iborchar@physics.adelaide.edu.au  (Ian Borchardt)
                or      phoban@physics.adelaide.edu.au    (Dr. Peter Hoban)

        or write to     Department of Medical Physics
                        Royal Adelaide Hospital
                        Adelaide SA 5001
                        Australia

                        (attn: Assoc. Prof. Alun Beddoe)


                or      Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics
                        University of Adelaide
                        Adelaide SA 5000
                        Australia

                        (attn: Dr. John Patterson)


                or      Department of Applied Physics
                        University of South Australia
                        [don't know the address offhand]

                        (attn: David Paix)

Disclaimer (I don't even know her!! - sorry, it's 3am at the moment):

A lot of this will probably not make sense to the average american reader
due to the differences in degree structures between our two countries.

My apolgies for any jokes that "accidentally" made their way into the answers
-- it's been a looong week.

I hope *someone* finds all this interesting.

--
Ian Borchardt                                             the staff is broken
iborchar@physics.adelaide.edu.au                        the sword is sheathed
Medical Physicist                                          the cup is drained
University of Adelaide/Royal Adelaide Hospital              the coin is spent




	C:  What was Asked
	       Here is the questions I posed to the group.

Survey sezs.....

        I would like to take a survey of the people who attended schools
 with a medical/health physics area of specialization.  The particular
 questions I would like to address are:

                -  Institution you attended/your degree/highest degree
                   offered

                -  What specialities your school has (radiology, imaging
                   [MRI, PET, CT, ...], nuclear medicine, etc.)

                -  Type and availability of support (T.A. in particular
                   department,  possibility of T.A. in another department
                   [physics, if phy. dept. is separate], some fellowships,
                   no guaranteed support,...

                -  Availability of a residency program at a hospital or
                   teaching hospital

                -  YOUR impression of the school, area school is located
                   in; assistance placement office gave in acquiring a
                   job/did most graduates from program obtain offers
                   (rather qualitative here, I know)

                -  Would you be willing to have your name associated
                   with the description of your school so that others
                   interested in med. phy. could contact you directly
                   (anonymous responses are allowed; I'll assume
                   anonymous unless otherwise informed)

                -  Any other information you think in pertinent

        Of course, current and past students are encouraged to
respond.  I will make a summary of the requested information and post
it in a few weeks.

Thanks one and all,

Bill Geisler
wrg@bohr.physics.purdue.edu