[Training Tuesday] - Weekly thread for questions about grad school, residency, and general career topics 07/11/2023

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:

"I majored in Surf Science and Technology in undergrad, is Medical Physics right for me?"
"I can't decide between Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics..."
"Do Medical Physicists get free CT scans for life?"
"Masters vs. PhD"
"How do I prepare for Residency interviews?"

Comments:

As someone looking to get into grad school, the user has concerns about the long term viability of becoming a radiotherapy medical physicist. They plan on doing a PhD and then residency, which will be 6+ years of training. They are wondering if people currently in the field think it will still be a viable career in 20 or 30 years. They are concerned about investing so much time and training only to end up jobless in the future.
1. The individual responds, stating that they don't understand where the user (and presumably others) are getting information that suggests that medical physics will be extinct in 2-3 decades. They also mention that the idea that dosimetry will disappear faster than the role of a medical physicist came from a medical physicist. They believe that the job will not disappear, but that fewer medical physicists will be necessary.
2. The user clarifies that their main concern isn't that the job will disappear, but that a lot fewer medical physicists will be necessary. They mention that the view of one person is not in line with the view of most dosimetrists and provide a link as a reference. They also express interest in knowing if the physicist the user talked to also thinks medical physics will go the same way.
The user graduated with a computer science degree with physics coursework up to modern physics. They are wondering if it is advisable to get the required three more upper level classes at an accredited university, which may require attending in-person classes and missing work, or if they should take an online course.
The user asks how math heavy the content is for a MS in medical physics. They mention the prerequisites of modern and quantum physics and calculus and inquire about the level of calculus and linear algebra in the courses. They also ask how much the prerequisites from their undergraduate degree will help in those classes.
1. A response states that the content is very light in terms of math. While there is a basis of complex math, on a day to day basis, only algebra is used. They mention that while the basis for many things is complex, it is not necessary to apply that in most scenarios.
2. Another response agrees that the math requirements are not heavy compared to other physics degrees. They mention that differential calculus is sufficient and linear algebra is not necessary.
3. A further response agrees that general calculus and ordinary differential equations knowledge is sufficient for normal grad school. They mention that linear algebra will come up if doing research in imaging, especially for PhD degrees. They also state that understanding Fourier transforms will be useful.
The user is currently on track to graduate with a BS in Physics in Fall 2024. They ask if any programs accept students in the Spring semester or if it would not be worth it to be a semester behind. They mention that they have connections at their local hospital from shadowing and are considering reaching out to see if they could do spring summer as an MPA.
1. A response suggests OUHSC at Oklahoma City, which accepts students in the Spring semester and has a great program. They offer assistance if the user has any questions.
2. Another response suggests Georgia Tech as a program that accepts students in the Spring semester.
The user asks if there are any possibilities to find a starting medical physicist position in the USA with a non-US medical physicist graduation (PhD or Master), but with a few years of clinical experience in external beam planning and dosimetry. They mention that there is no medical physicist certification in their country currently.

A response provides a link to the American Board of Radiology's website, which has information on initial certification for international medical graduates.
The user has a few questions regarding MSc programs:
1. They ask why many CAMPEP programs have varying curriculums and prerequisites.
2. They inquire if there is a noticeable hierarchy among universities that might affect career options and pay after graduation.
3. They ask if certain specialties are more competitive than others.
1. A response explains that the varying curriculums and prerequisites in CAMPEP programs are due to the subset of knowledge needed in a master's program compared to what will be learned as a resident. They mention that many programs are therapy heavy, which is unfortunate but it is what it is.
2. Another response states that there is no notable hierarchy among universities in medical physics. They advise looking at program match statistics and mention that the goal in grad school is to get a residency, with education being secondary.
3. A further response mentions that there is no specific hierarchy, but it is important to check the residency match rates of programs. They advise avoiding programs with low match rates and caution against university name shopping, as it is not like other careers. They mention that therapy medical physics is generally more competitive because it pays the most, but imaging might be more competitive based on the odds of matching to an imaging residency due to fewer available slots.
The user asks if it is better to do a thesis or if getting published would increase their chances of getting into residency from a Master's program.

A response states that it probably doesn't matter much either way with just a Master's. They mention that programs that want publications are usually looking for PhD candidates, while programs that only want Master's residents don't care about the thesis or publications. They suggest that doing a thesis is good for preparing for giving talks during resident interviews, but so is having a publication.
The user has been looking to transition from engineering to medical physics. Their job will pay for a few health physics classes, such as dosimetry. They have a couple of questions:
1. They ask if a health physics background is useful if one wants to pursue a career in medical physics.
2. They inquire if there are any special pathways for health physicists who wish to transition to medical physics.
1. A response states that a health physics background will be useful in a CAMPEP program, as there will be a health physics/radiation protection class. However, there will be a lot of new material aside from that.
2. Another response mentions that there are no special pathways for health physicists to transition to medical physics in terms of being able to skip steps.
The user has a few questions:
1. They notice that some MS programs don't require the GRE and ask if the GRE makes graduate students more competitive for residency training compared to those who do not take it.
2. They ask if a PhD is necessary for those who do not want to do research.
3. They inquire if working in imaging typically requires a PhD.
1. A response states that the GRE scores are not reported to residencies, so it does not make graduate students more competitive for residency training.
2. Another response mentions that a PhD is not necessary for those who do not want to do research.
3. A further response states that a PhD is not required to work in imaging. They mention that while some residencies may require PhDs, the same is true for therapy as well.

Original URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/MedicalPhysics/comments/14wo2bk/training_tuesday_weekly_thread_for_questions/