Medical Physics

Program Overview

Medical Physics Residency

The Medical Physics Residency Program generally lasts two years, but may be extended to three. As the program is accredited, residents follow the CAMPEP syllabus, working through a series of clinical rotations and learning modules in radiation therapy. They cover such topics as:

• The overall radiation therapy process
• Dosimetry, quality assurance and accelerator calibration
• Treatment planning, dose calculation and optimization
• Specialized techniques, including in-vivo dosimetry, stereotactic, image guidance, orthovoltage and brachytherapy
• Radiation safety and treatment facility design

Physics residents participate in all aspects of the clinical physics workload, and each resident will take the lead on at least one research project during their term.
The residency program prepares its trainees through rigorous study and mentoring from senior physicists. Graduates are generally ready to apply for membership in the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine.
The funding of residency program positions throughout Ontario is supported by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care through Cancer Care Ontario. A general description of Medical Physics residency in Ontario is given at this link to the CCO Website. Some recent statistics (ex. number of positions, number of applicants etc. ) for the Kingston program is available here.

Medical Physics Graduate Students

Medical physics graduate students are part of the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy at Queen's, and their academic program largely mirrors that of their colleagues in other fields of physics. The medical physics program is research-based, culminating in the writing and defence of a thesis. Two courses in medical physics (PHYS 858 or its equivalent and PHYS 958 - see http://www.physics.queensu.ca/Courses/index.php ) are part of the program for all students; master's students take an additional two courses of their choice and doctoral students an additional five.

The program aims to produce well-rounded physicists who are experienced in a wide variety of situations. While the focus is on research in our non-accredited graduate program, most medical physics students will run several short investigative programs in dosimetry, radiation safety, quality assurance or other sub-fields of the profession, and will be exposed to many aspects of clinical physics at the CCSEO at KGH.
The requirements for admission into physics graduate studies at Queen’s University are described at here.