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Medical Physics

BC Cancer's Medical Physics Residency Program is a two-year, structured training program supervised and mentored by qualified clinical practitioners.

Applications for residency positions open in October. For more information on the application procedures and requirements, see the "Admission" tab.

Goal & Objectives

The goal of BC Cancer Medical Physics Residency Program is to prepare graduates of medical physics graduate degree programs for competent clinical practice in radiation therapy physics. 

The program has been accredited by Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP) since 2011. This is a two-year, structured training program supervised and mentored by qualified clinical practitioners following the guidelines in AAPM report 90. 

The program helps to develop the appropriate awareness, knowledge and clinical and technical skills required in a resident to perform their role as a medical physicist competently and independently within the multidisciplinary clinical team. Included in this program are rotations through all areas of clinical practice, including treatment planning, brachytherapy, quality assurance, radiation protection, radiation biology, imaging and commissioning and support of radiotherapy equipment. 

The program provides the minimum clinical experience qualification for the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine membership examination. The resident may need to perform some study in parallel with this training program to adequately prepare for this examination. There are opportunities for the resident to supplement their learning through the graduate medical physics programs offered at the University of British Columbia - Vancouver, University of British Columbia - Okanagan,  and the University of Victoria

BC Cancer is a multi-centre Cancer Care organization spanning the province of British Columbia. Currently, there are six treatment centres in operation: AbbotsfordFraser ValleyKelownaPrince GeorgeVancouver and Victoria. With the exception of Prince George, all centres formally participate in the residency program.

The residency program is designed such that residents may train at any participating centre under a standard curriculum, subject to standard evaluation mechanisms, and is coordinated by a core committee comprised of representatives from all participating centres. 

Program structure

The essentials of the program training curriculum include:

1. Clinical training rotations:

  • Introduction to the radiation therapy process
  • Quality assurance and commissioning
  • External beam treatment planning
    • Includes Case Study Series in conjunction with the BC Cancer Radiation Oncology Program
  • Brachytherapy
  • Radiation protection and radiation biology
  • Imaging in radiation therapy
  • Special techniques

2. Attendance at clinical conferences and seminars 
3. Teaching opportunities 
4. Education in professional aspects of medical physics 
5. Involvement in routine clinical practice tasks 
6. Clinical development project

Admission

Application procedures

Acceptance to the BC Cancer MPRP is competitive. Graduation from a CAMPEP accredited graduate or certificate program in Medical Physics is required; PhDs are preferred. Candidates are expected to adhere to the professional code of ethics developed by the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM). Highly developed team work and interpersonal skills are required. In accordance with Canadian Employment and Immigration, preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada; however all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

BC Cancer enrols in MedPhys Match National Matching Program and thus candidates must register with the program.  Positions are posted annually on their website under "BC Cancer Medical Physics Residency Program", typically late in the calendar year (before December 1st) for July enrolment in the subsequent year.  Application timelines are available on the MedPhys Match website.  Details of available residency positions, their locations and the procedure for applying are normally posted on the COMP career website.

Candidates should complete their application for residency positions as follows:

1. Candidates must be enrolled in the MedPhys Match Program https://natmatch.com/medphys/

2. Candidates must then submit their application directly to the BC Cancer Medical Physics Residency Program. BC Cancer does not participate in AAPM's MP-RAP program and candidates cannot apply through MP-RAP.

3.  If more than one position is being offered, candidates should specify which position(s) they are applying for.  Candidates are welcome to apply to more than one position.

For more information or general enquiries, please contact the Medical Physics Residency Program at medphysresidency@bccancer.bc.ca.

Information on program graduates

See past statistics for the number of graduates, certification and employment appointments and more.

Graduating Year2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
Applicants44
35
22
23
50+50+
50+
50+
50+
Accepted4
3
2
2
2
3
2
1
2
Graduated2
2
2
22
3
2
1
2
Certified-
1
2
1
2
22
1
2
Clinical Employment2
1
2
2
2
3
2
1
2
Academic Employment-1
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-
-



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