Congratulations to Benjamin Hug, who passed his Medical Physics Registrar written exam with flying colours. Below, Ben has provided some background information on the exam and the requirements for the registrar program.

The Training Education and Assessment Program (TEAP) is a training program facilitated by the Australasian College of Engineers and Physical Scientists in Medicine (ACPSEM). The program involves a training position as a Radiation Oncology Medical Physics Registrar working in a clinical Radiotherapy department. As part of TEAP, registrars gain clinical experience in all aspects of radiotherapy from dosimetry, treatment planning, brachytherapy and radiation safety. The end point of TEAP is that the registrar becomes a Qualified Medical Physics Specialist (QMPS). To become a QMPS a registrar is required to obtain several clinical competencies which are assessed by senior staff. There are currently three levels of signoff: Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3, which basically corresponds to: See one, Do one, Teach one.

Prior to being eligible to sit the written exam, a TEAP registrar must have achieved all Level 2 signoffs for every competency. This is a HUGE chunk of work which includes years of reading, question and answer sessions, practical sessions and also clinical experience. Clinical experience ranges from being involved in the delivery of patient treatments, providing clinical advice for complex planning problems, reference dosimetry measurements, quality assurance of all equipment involved in the delivery of patient treatments (i.e. planning systems, treatment machines, CT scanners to name a few), commissioning new equipment and the implementation and advancement of new techniques.

Passing the written is only Part 1 of a 3 part assessment process. It is by far the most significant aspect of the assessment and requires the most work in order to obtain the required Level 2 competency signoffs. Part 2 and 3 are a practical exam with examiners from the eastern states and a 90 minute oral exam on all aspects medical physics related. Though it seems like a lot of work, it is most enjoyable and will be worth it in the long run!

Next stop, practical and oral exam…..

Thanks to Ben for writing the article.