Post Content: This is the place to ask questions about graduate school, training programs, or general basic career topics. If you are just learning about the field and want to know if it is something you should explore, this thread is probably the correct place for those first few questions on your mind.
Examples:
Comment 1:
Hello friends
I’m currently a 4th year undergraduate student at California State Fullerton (my graduate date is May 2023, 5 years) and I’m doing a lot of research on grad school for Medical Physics and was wondering if anyone had any experiences or thoughts on these universities. Currently I’m looking at, Mcgill (Quebec), San Diego State, Columbia, Upenn, Umass Lowell, Oregon State, and SUNY Buffalo. I’m currently at a 3.2 cumulative gpa and I am only a handful of major courses in (hopefully looking to keep my B/A average) as a Physics major with a minor in Cinema and Television arts. Any comments or experiences on these universities would be appreciated. And I’m open to chats or PM’s if you’d like to talk. Thank you very much
Response 1:
If getting a clinical job is your goal, the user should check the residency placement stats of each school they're interested in to help gauge how successful their alumni are (there is a lot of variability between schools here).
Response 2:
The user should not try to obtain a Medical Physics ABR exam facsimile to study as it is against the rules. Examinees are explicitly told not to share test questions.
Response 3:
The user acknowledges that sharing test questions is against the rules and expresses gratitude for the response.
Comment 2:
Hello! The user is looking for some basic career advice. They graduated with a Master's in Medical Physics/Radiological Sciences in 2016 but ended up taking a job in engineering for the past five years. They enjoy what they do but have the itch to go back to their medical physics educational upbringing. They are currently ineligible to take the ABR Part 1 Exam without another year of training. The user is seeking guidance on whether to pursue medical physics residencies or entry-level positions/volunteer positions to gain the necessary experience to take the exam.
Response 1:
The user is advised to do research and volunteer more in clinical projects to gain experience. The specific form this takes may vary between different programs. However, it is important for the user to not pigeonhole themselves into a specific technology, as it might be harmful. The necessary knowledge is covered in the CAMPEP curriculum, and during residency interviews, they are more screening for personality, work ethic, attitude, etc.
Comment 3:
The user is an undergraduate student considering a career in medical physics, specifically in the therapy side. They have been advised to study machine learning and are seeking confirmation if this is true in the field of medical physics.
Response 1:
The user is informed that machine learning is indeed relevant in medical physics, as there is a relation between the latest technology and the clinic. Knowledge of programming languages like Python and machine learning can be beneficial in the practice of medical physics.
Response 2:
The user is advised that machine learning is a hot topic in many technical industries and taking classes in it would likely be beneficial.
Comment 4:
The user holds a medical physics MS (non-CAMPEP) and has been working clinically for 2 years outside the US. They are considering pursuing a PhD to improve career progression within their country. However, they have no publications and are concerned about the impact it may have on their application.
Response 1:
The user is reassured that many people start PhD programs without having publications. While having a paper would be advantageous, the fact that the user has an MS and completed a thesis demonstrates their ability to do research, which is an important aspect of the application.
Response 2:
The user expresses gratitude for the response and mentions feeling disheartened by the implication that something is wrong with them for not having a publication.
Response 3:
The user is encouraged to not let the discouragement affect them and to go ahead and apply for PhD programs. There are many good medical physics PhD programs in the US, although visa issues may need to be considered.
Comment 5:
The user asks what clinical experience MS graduate students need to be qualified as junior physicists.
Response 1:
The user is informed that MS graduate students do not need any clinical experience to be qualified as junior physicists.
Original URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/MedicalPhysics/comments/pf3jb6/training_tuesday_weekly_thread_for_questions/