Overview
CAMPEP and medical physics education
The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) accredits medical physics graduate programs, residency programs, and certificate and continuing-education programs — the pipeline for clinical medical physicists in radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, and nuclear medicine.
The Gate
CAMPEP and ABR board certification
To become a board-certified medical physicist, the CAMPEP path is effectively required. The American Board of Radiology (ABR) requires candidates to have completed CAMPEP-accredited graduate education and a CAMPEP-accredited residency to sit for its medical physics certification exams. Hospitals and clinics hire and credential clinical physicists on ABR certification.
The Path
Graduate program then residency
- CAMPEP-accredited graduate programA master’s or doctoral program (or a certificate for those with a physics doctorate).
- CAMPEP-accredited residencyClinical training, typically two years.
- ABR certificationThe board exams that credential a clinical medical physicist.
Do It Yourself
Verify a medical physics program
Go Deeper
Official sources
Questions
Frequently asked questions
- Who accredits medical physics programs? The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP), which accredits graduate programs, residencies, and certificate/continuing-education programs.
- Do I need a CAMPEP-accredited program to be board-certified? Effectively yes. The American Board of Radiology requires CAMPEP-accredited graduate education and a CAMPEP-accredited residency to sit for medical physics certification.
- What is the ABR? The American Board of Radiology, which certifies clinical medical physicists (and radiologists); hospitals credential physicists on ABR certification.
- What is the training path? A CAMPEP-accredited graduate program, then a CAMPEP-accredited residency (usually two years), then ABR board certification.
- What do medical physicists do? They ensure the safe, accurate use of radiation in radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, and nuclear medicine.
- Is medical physics licensed? A few states license or register medical physicists; ABR board certification, built on the CAMPEP path, is the near-universal professional standard.
- Can I enter with a physics PhD? Yes — physicists with a doctorate can complete a CAMPEP-accredited certificate program to meet the education requirement, then a residency.
- How do I verify a medical physics program? Search the CAMPEP directory of accredited programs and confirm certification requirements with the ABR.