SEAAPM: Education

Education: Issues, Opportunities and Resources

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Clinically Focused Physics Education: Challenges and Opportunities

Perry Sprawls, PhD, FAAPM

Since physics is the foundation science of both diagnostic imaging and radiation oncology, an extensive knowledge is required for effective and safe use in both clinical applications. This applies to all medical professionals including medical physicists, physicians, and technologists. Here we will limit our discussion to diagnostic imaging, my field of experience, and where there are some major changes occurring.

The medical physicists serve two vital roles: one is the practice of clinical physics and the other is that of educator for all of the other professions. This second role is often the most challenging for a number of reasons. These include limited time and resources for teaching and limited applied experience in all clinical applications, especially the different medical imaging methods. The overriding challenge is balancing and optimizing the relationship of effectiveness and efficiency of learning activities. Effective physics education is required to produce desired outcomes in clinical practice such as optimized CT protocols, appropriate fluoroscopic practices, knowing the characteristics and limitations of all medical images, and much more. The most efficient learning activity, especially for the physicist, is usually the traditional classroom where all learners are brought together for lectures and discussions. While classroom and conference sessions have considerable value for some topics and provide an opportunity for physicists to share their knowledge and experience with the other professionals such as radiology residents, there is a considerable barrier between the classroom activity and effective clinical applications.

The new paradigm that is evolving, in somewhat varying forms and in different institutions, has the common goal of providing effective clinically focused physics education within the constraints of time and resources that are available. The elements of this evolving model include:

Classroom instruction for selected general topics (image characteristics, radiation safety, etc.) early in an academic program. Here the learners get to know the medical physicist as a valuable professional resource and member of the clinical team.
Integration of applied physics learning throughout the clinical rotations. This is enhanced by the use of modality-specific web-based modules and support by the clinical faculty during various procedures and image interpretation sessions. The value of this is that it brings the learning of physics directly into the clinical environment where the learner can apply, observe, and interact.
Small group discussion and study sessions, such as reviews for examinations. The physicists can provide structure and guidance for these activities and also be a major knowledge resource.

This approach is evolving first for radiology resident education because of several specific needs and conditions but it has value in other areas where clinically focused physics education is the goal. This year, 2011, I will be providing courses on Clinically Focused Physics Education at both the AAPM Annual Meeting and at RSNA. The focus will be on developing these concepts and principles and applying them in practice.

CAMPEP Accredited Graduate Programs in the Southeast

Duke University Medical Center
Medical Physics Graduate Program
2424 Erwin Road (Hock Plaza), Suite 101
Durham, NC 27705
(919) 684-1400
Fax: (919) 684-1490
Accredited degrees available:M.S.,Ph.D.
Director: James T. Dobbins III, Ph.D.
olga.baranova@duke.edu
http://medicalphysics.duke.edu/

East Carolina University
Medical and Biomedical Physics Graduate Programs
Department of Physics
Mailstop #563
Greenville, NC 27858
Accredited degrees available: M.S., Medical Physics, Ph.D., Biomedical Physics
Director: Michael Dingfelder,Ph.D.
(252) 328-6739/ (252) 328-6314
PhysicsGrad@ecu.edu
http://www.ecu.edu/physics

Georgia Institute of Technology
Medical Physics Programs
770 State Street, RM-3-39S
Atlanta, GA 30332-0745
Accredited degrees available: M.S., Ph.D.
Director: Farzad Rahnema, Ph.D.
(404) 894-3731/ Fax (404)894-3733
farzad@gatech.edu

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology
1301 22nd Ave. South, TVC B-902
Nashville, TN 37232-5671
Director: Charles W. Coffey, II, Ph.D.
Tel: (615) 322-2555 Fax: (615) 343-0161
Accredited degrees available: M.S., Combined Program (DMP)
charles.coffey@vanderbilt.edu
https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/dmp/

Other Graduate Programs in the Southeast

Wake Forest University
Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology
100 Olin Physical Laboratory
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7507
Tel: (336) 758-5337, Fax: (336) 758-6142
Contact: Dan Bourland, Ph.D.
Degrees available: M.S., Ph.D.
Dan Bourland, PhD
http://www.wfu.edu/academics/physics/grad-int.html

CAMPEP Accredited Residencies in the Southeast (Radiation Therapy)

Duke University Medical Center
(Initial Accreditation: 2009)
Department of Radiation Oncology
DUMC, box 3295
Durham, NC 27710
Director: Fang-Fang Yin, Ph.D.
Tel: (919) 660-2185 / Fax: (919) 681-7183
Medical Physics Residency Program
fangfang.yin@duke.edu
http://radonc.duke.edu/modules/div_medphys/index.php?id=1

Other Residencies in the Southeast (Radiation Therapy)

East Carolina University
Department of Radiation Oncology
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
600 Moye Blvd.
Greenville, NC 27834
Contact: Edson Justiniano, Ph. D.
Phone (252) 744-2900 / Fax (252) 744-2812
justinianoe@ecu.edu
http://www.ecu.edu/radiationoncology/medicalphysicsschool.htm

Medical University of South Carolina
171 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC 29403
Contact: Kenneth N. Vanek, Ph. D.
vanek@musc.edu
http://clinicaldepartments.musc.edu/radiology/divisions/medicalphysics.htm

Thompson Cancer Survival Center
1915 White Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37916
Contact: Chester R. Ramsey, PhD
cramsey@utk.edu
http://www.thompsoncancer.com/

University of Alabama at Birmingham
(Initial Accreditation: 2009)
Department of Radiology
619 South 19th ST
Birmingham AL
Contact: Sharon White, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellowship and Residency
shlwhite@uabmc.edu
http://medicine.uab.edu/radiology

CAMPEP Accredited Professional Degree Programs in the Southeast

Educational Resources

IAEA | Radiation Protection Of Patients (RPOP)

RSNA / AAPM Online Physics Modules

2009 SDAMPP Graduate Program Survey Results

2009 SDAMPP Residency Program Survey Results