AbstractID: 7776 Title: Australasian Medical Physics Training, Education and Accreditation (TEA): past,
present and future
Long waiting lists for cancer patients to receive radiation therapy treatment give good reason for concern as to the adequacy of
radiation therapy services in Australia and New Zealand. Although funds are allocated towards opening new radiation therapy
facilities and acquiring increasingly complex equipment, little recognition is given to implementing appropriate change to medical
physics workforce training, education and accreditation. In the past, medical physicists have been employed at the entrance level of
BSc (physics) and received clinical training on the job. For the past decade partial accreditation by Australasian College of Physical
Scientists in Medicine has successfully accredited 57 physicists. Although this informal approach was sufficient in the past, the
complexity and diversity of radiotherapeutic equipment in contemporary practices, make this type of training inadequate. The
situation is further exacerbated by a world shortage of medical physicists and the ability of more affluent countries to attract good
Australasian physicists with seductive salaries. At present there is a Federal Inquiry into radiotherapy services in Australia. It is
anticipated that this review will recognize the current medical physics needs and make recommendations with sufficient foresight
into the future. With this in mind, the ACPSEM has drafted a five year post graduate training and educational program with
particular attention on practical skills and problem solving ability, leading to accreditation in Medical Physics (Radiation Oncology).
It is anticipated that this program will be further expanded to cover other sub-specialties of medical physics.