Clinical Physicist - Radiation Oncology

Position Summary
Radiation therapy as practiced at the Washington University’s Department of Radiation Oncology is personnel-intensive and can be highly customized and individualized for each patient, requiring extensive quality assurance (QA) and constant oversight to prevent catastrophic treatment delivery errors. It is subject to extensive and time consuming documentation imposed by current standards of practice and regulatory bodies such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The Clinical Staff Physicist provides the essential administrative, organizational and technical expertise that keeps the clinic functioning smoothly, safely, and at a state-of-the-art technical and clinical level in a technically complex environment.

Job Description

Radiation therapy environment. May work with sick people.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Basic calibration and quality assurance testing, equipment varies by location.
• Determination of the radiation dosimetry parameters for the treatment units, simulators and brachytherapy radiation sources.
• Calculation of radiation dose distribution of patients undergoing treatment.
• Monitoring or measuring of the dose delivered to selected patients.
• Maintaining dosimetry standards pertaining to radiation dosimetry systems.
• Space planning and radiation shielding design for new facilities, modalities, and equipment.
• Radiation safety surveys for facilities and personnel.
• Clinical oversight of technical personnel (dosimetrist).
• Consultation to radiation oncologists regarding special clinical physics considerations for individual patients.
• Development, maintenance and implementation of calibration and quality assurance programs for all external beam treatment machines, simulators, treatment planning systems and brachytherapy equipment/sources.
• Development, maintenance and implementation of quality control procedures.
• Development, maintenance and implementation of physics and dosimetry protocols.
• Responsibility for the release of treatment machines into clinical services after maintenance, and for documenting that any alterations caused by the maintenance and repair schedule do not affect the treatment unit standards promulgated in the AAPM code of practice.
• Serving as liaison to equipment manufactures for installation, acceptance testing and verification testing, and making recommendations concerning new equipment acquisitions and upgrades of hardware and software.
• Interpreting of test results and advising clinical staff on optimal equipment use.
• Overseeing compliance with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, licensing and other regulatory requirements governing personnel and general public safety and other issues; and attending Radiation Safety Committee meetings.
• On-site contouring or normal anatomy and processing of multimodality imaging, including image registration, deformations, processing of respiratory motion correlated images.
• On-site treatment planning, with equipment varying by location.

Preferred Qualifications

• Effective verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Able to demonstrate analytical reasoning.
• Able to perform mathematical computations.

Required Qualifications

• MS degree in physics or related science.
• Certified or eligible for certification by the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Medical Physics.

Grade
S00

Pre-Employment Screening
All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement
Washington University in St. Louis is committed to providing a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to our employees. Benefits eligibility is subject to employment status, full-time equivalent (FTE) workload, and weekly standard hours. Please visit our website at https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/ to view a summary of benefits.

EEO/AA Statement
Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity and especially encourages applications by those from underrepresented groups. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.

Diversity Statement
Washington University is dedicated to building a diverse community of individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive environment – fostering respect for all and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Individuals with a commitment to these values are encouraged to apply.

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