About the Program

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Department of Radiology offers a two-year residency program in Imaging Medical Physics. The Medical Physics Division of Radiology supports Imaging Physics throughout the OSU health care network and provides a clinical experience covering the breadth and depth of Imaging Physics. Residents will gain experience and knowledge by participating in clinical activities throughout the health care system, spanning a range from large academic hospitals to standalone clinics. A faculty of nine members share their expertise to prepare graduates for independent practice and ABR Board Certification in Diagnostic Medical Physics.

Beginning July 1 each year, the program provides two years of clinical training to individuals with a PhD (program in Medical Physics preferred) who have completed a CAMPEP program in Medical Physics. Residents have the opportunity to expand their perspectives of practice through interactions with colleagues in existing residency programs including Radiation Oncology Physics, Diagnostic Radiology, and Interventional Radiology.

Residents will become familiar with a wide range of accreditation programs, including all ACR-accredited modalities, IAC, and The Joint Commission. Unique opportunities at OSUWMC include experience with radiation oncology imaging, informatics/artificial intelligence, and regulatory development, all of which are invaluable skills for future medical physicists.

Curriculum

The IMPRP curriculum is delivered through a series of rotational-focused medical physics topics and is designed to ensure that graduates meet all CAMPEP Residency program standards. This is achieved by designing topical areas of clinical training to cover the CAMPEP Curriculum Standards defined by CAMPEP Standard 8.7 (Imaging Physics) supplemented by AAPM Report #249, “Essentials and Guidelines for Clinical Medical Physics Residency Training Programs,” evolving topics expected by the ABR Board Examinations, and standards of clinical practice. The program is designed to provide training through clinical rotations and didactic sessions for each of these areas in order to provide residents with a level of training that will permit them to work independently and confidently with advanced imaging technology after graduation.

Didactic educational activities are also integrated throughout the program. Within the scope of the clinical rotations, residents are expected to attend bi-weekly Physics Education Conference and at least one resident training lecture each week.

Summary Training Block Schedule

PY1

PY2

Admissions

Applicants require an earned graduate degree from a CAMPEP-accredited program (including certificate programs) and a Ph.D. in a related field. Residents are expected to have completed a comprehensive curriculum in medical physics and to have received some clinical experience during their graduate education.

OSU’s Imaging Medical Physics Residency Program participates in the MedPhys Match. Applications to the program are collected though AAPM’s Medical Physics Residency Application Program.

Resident Life & Benefits

Residents entering the Imaging Medical Physics Residency Program have opportunities to interact and gain clinical experiences by interacting with a broad group of residents, staff and physicians. It is expected that residents will collaborate with residents in the Radiology ACGME-accredited residency programs of Diagnostic Radiology and Interventional Radiology as well as the Radiation Oncology Medical Physics Residency Program housed in the Department of Radiation Oncology.

The program operates under the auspices of the OSU Graduate Medical Education (GME) office, which provides uniform oversight and support for residency programs throughout the University. Residents are appointed through a limited staff agreement that is updated annually (AY21-22 LSA example). Annual salary and fringe benefits are defined by the Office of Graduate Medical Education to provide a uniform payment scale to residents and fellows at the University.

Imaging Physics residents are afforded benefits matching those of OSU’s medical residents, including medical and dental insurance, paid vacation and holiday benefits, sick pay benefits, life insurance, and disability insurance. Additional benefits provided by the Office of Graduate Medical Education include lab coats, dry cleaning, and membership in professional organizations. In addition to the salary and fringe benefits, the department provides funding for travel to a national conference each year.

Statistics and History

The Imaging Medical Physics Residency Program was approved by the OSUWMC Graduate Medical Education Committee in 2018. The program was approved as a two-year program, admitting one new resident each year. Provisional CAMPEP accreditation was granted in July 2019 with full accreditation in 2021.

Academic Year

# of students applied

# offered admission

# entered

# graduated

Graduate Destinations

2019

23

1

1

NA

NA

2020

17

1

1

NA

NA

2021

19

1

1

1

Clinical faculty/University hospital

2022

17

0

0

1

Clinical faculty/University hospital

2023

20

1

1

1

Clinical Academic Physicist