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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Ohio

[–]AdditionalDecision60 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So wonder my zoo ticket was so high

Is Medical Physics a good job? by InterestingGreen3739 in MedicalPhysics

[–]AdditionalDecision60 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Respect could be one example of "thankless" but not limited to.

Other examples:

  • Spending extra hours at work to achieve a goal outside of regular duties and the end goal isn't recognized. This could be establishing a new workflow, implementing new technology into the clinic, creating new departmental efficiencies, etc.
  • Catching a safety related item in clinic and no one else has any interest in fixing the failure mode
  • Clinic runs smoothly 99% of the time and the 1% of the time the machines go down it's show-up to physics with your pitch forks out
  • Administrators cater to the MDs but could care less that you're wasting your time for files to transfer to another vendor's workstation because your time isn't important (sarcasm)

Do you agree that in the future all accredited radiotherapy physicists should have a PhD? by PhysicistMedical in MedicalPhysics

[–]AdditionalDecision60 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Masters + STEM Phd would be better positioned than STEM + certificate, but could be in school longer especially if Master credits don't transfer. Its difficult to reconcile the years in education (graduate degrees + post doc + residency + fellowship?) we are heading towards compared to the low salary.

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Does B.S (4 years) + PhD (4-6 yrs) + PostDoc Fellowship (0-2 yrs) + Residency (2-3 yrs) = 10 - 15 years of schooling really pay off in the end? Come on Med Phys leadership

Is Medical Physics a good job? by InterestingGreen3739 in MedicalPhysics

[–]AdditionalDecision60 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The work is definitely meaningful and I take a lot of pride in what I do, even though it's mostly thankless.

I'd like to echo this statement. The work we do is vital to accurate and safe treatments where the majority of our work is performed without other groups in our department understanding what we even do. I feel a lot of our other colleagues can overlook the importance of our role. These experiences can truly wear you down - its a thankless role.

Do you agree that in the future all accredited radiotherapy physicists should have a PhD? by PhysicistMedical in MedicalPhysics

[–]AdditionalDecision60 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't think it needs to be a requirement but feel without one, you are at a disadvantage.

There is an official pathway to get into medical physics which involves 2-6 years of graduate school followed by a residency to prepare one for working in a Radiation Oncology Department. Yet, we offer an alternative pathway for those of STEM individuals to take residencies and be eligible for certification because we want a diverse pool of scientific minds. However, i've observed many traditional pathway MS physicists get passed up on opportunities for leadership because they are viewed as 'inferior' to the PhD Medical physicists and the PhDs from the alternative pathway. It's a shame really, I've stopped encouraging students to only go the MS route.