Recently, most of the jobs in the west require someone with a Ph.D. or MS with board certification to perform the duties of a medical physicist independently. However, several universities in the middle east offers only bachelor degree in medical physics and their graduates find medical physicist jobs. How important for someone to finish their graduate studies to perform their duties effectively? Would someone with a bachelor degree plus clinical experience be able to perform the duties of a clinical medical physicist efficiently?
It also depends on the supervision said person would have. I wouldn't feel safe with a worker with that background working without supervision by a more experienced professional.
Also, it is not only the requirement in the west; it is the recommendation of organisms such as IAEA.
Thx Miguel for your input, However, how can you quantify feeling about safety? it is very subjective, is n'it? The medical physics courses required in a graduate medical physics degree (roughly 2 years) can easily be covered in an undergraduate degree. In addition, if gets 1 to 2 years of clinical training, then he might become or be able to perform his/her job efficiently.
It's true I just gave a subjective answer about what I feel would be the right way to go. On the other hand, the objective answer about what is mandatoyry to do is quite clear: you can hire whoever the national regulatory body/national law allow you to.
If someone clearly wants to become a medical physicists and practice clinical medical physics, does he/she need to take many courses in physics, engineering, or other science majors (courses not related to medical physics, &there are many). I believe not. On the other hand, if someone NOT sure what he wants to become, then he/she might finish any undergraduate degree first and then like medical physics, he/she may finish their graduate degree in medical physics.
The international regulatory body members, many of whom never finished their medical physics degree and acquire their knowledge of medical physics on the jobs. They have degrees in Physics, Engineering, or other sciences. My point is to stimulate our thinking about why one must finish his/her graduate school to become an efficient medical physicist.
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