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Medical Physics Residency Program

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Mission Statement

The Clinical Medical Physics Residency Program at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) is a radiation oncology therapy residency program that will prepare individuals to practice independently as a board certified medical physicist in Radiation Oncology. Graduates of the residency program will have the experience, knowledge, and professionalism to implement and maintain clinical procedures and emerging technologies with a focus on patient safety. Key protocols and practices in radiation oncology will be reinforced through discussion at chart rounds and case conference and residents will critically evaluate literature through presentations at journal club. Residents will be encouraged to participate in clinical research projects and present their results at regional and national conferences. Through a collaborative work environment, residents will develop the skills to work alongside a multidisciplinary team of nurses, radiation therapy technologists, dosimetrists, physicians, and administrators. The program emphasizes all areas of clinical training that will be needed by a radiation oncology medical physicist in a state-of-the-art academic treatment facility, as well as a single accelerator community-based facility.

Program Completion Requirements

The Clinical Medical Physics Residency Program is 24 months in length and includes 12 rotations, attendance at case conferences, recommended readings, written report assignments, and oral examinations. In addition to the experiences from didactic training and clinical rotations, the Medical Physics residents receive training through their participation in monthly quality assurance on the linear accelerators, IMRT quality assurance measurements, and high dose rate brachytherapy quality assurance. As the resident advances through the clinical rotations, they will participate in weekly chart review and become the “physicist of the day”, providing first response physics support to all activities within the clinic. The advancement of the resident through these clinical responsibilities is evaluated and discussed during quarterly reviews with the program director.

Evaluation

Following each clinical rotation, residents will submit a written report and take an oral exam. Residents will receive written feedback based on the quality of the submitted report and their performance on the oral exam.

Career Development

The environment and large patient volume at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics will prepare you for all aspects of clinical medical physics practice. Residents will receive funding for one regional meeting per year and one national meeting during the duration of their residency. 

Participation in national medical physics or radiation oncology meetings is encouraged.

Board Passage Rates and Average Scores

Oral board passing rates for graduates of this program are available in our PDF icon 2023 Performance Summary.pdf. Average oral board passing rates can be found here.

Number of Residents in Program

The Radiation Oncology Clinical Medical Physics Residency at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has 1-3 residents in the program at any given time.

Program Graduates

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Medical Physics Residency program prepares graduates for a rewarding career in medical physics. The destination of program graduates can be found in our PDF icon 2023 Performance Summary.pdf

Faculty

The Medical Physics faculty in the Department of Radiation Oncology include PhD and MS medical physicists with a wealth of experience. All faculty are involved in clinical practice, research, and resident education. Details regarding each faculty member can be found on their individual pages:

Ryan Flynn, PhD

Dan Hyer, PhD

Adam Dalhart, MS

Michelle Howard, PhD

Joe Modrick, PhD

Earl Nixon, MS

Emma Rickels, DMP

Samuel Rusu, MS

Blake Smith, PhD

Joël St-Aubin, PhD

Tim Waldron, MS

Wenjun Yang, PhD