Thompson Cancer Survival Center

Covenant Health System

Medical Physics Residency

Thompson Cancer Survival Center is proud to offer a medical physics residency program.

Therapeutic Radiological Physics

The mission of the Thompson Cancer Survival Center (TCSC) medical physics residency program is to provide clinical training and education in accordance with guidelines specified by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs, Inc. (CAMPEP) and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). Medical Physics residents in the TCSC program are assigned to full-time clinical training and educational activities relating to radiation oncology physics.

Thompson Cancer Survival Center is a member of Covenant Health, which is a community-owned not-for-profit organization located in East Tennessee.  Covenant Health has six hospital-based radiation oncology departments located at:

Covenant Health also has the Thompson Proton Center, which is a free-standing multi-room proton treatment facility.

Medical Physics at Covenant Health

The Covenant Health Medical Physics Team includes:

  • 12 ABR physicists
  • 2 physics assistants
  • 11 certified dosimetrists
  • medical physics residents
  •  numerous graduate students from the CAMPEP program at the University of Tennessee.

Covenant Health has 5 Varian linacs, 4 Elekta linacs, 3 Flexitron HDR systems, a GammaKnife Icon, an IBA Proteus Plus three-room proton therapy clinic (2 gantries and 1 fixed beam), and a separate ProNova 230 MeV cyclotron with a non-clinical research beam-line that has been used for space radiation effects testing. Covenant uses Eclipse for photon planning, RayStation for proton planning, Velocity, Mosaiq, RadCalc, and has a generous supply of medical physics equipment.

This large medical physics group gives you the benefits of a large, experienced, and diverse medical physics team, while working day-to-day in a small group environment either Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Downtown Knoxville, or Parkwest Medical Center in West Knoxville. Our broad range of equipment and services will enable you to expand your skill sets in all aspect of radiation oncology. Most importantly, you will have a great work-life balance with time to spend at home or enjoying the local attractions.

Knoxville has a beautiful and walkable downtown, varied nightlife, active neighborhoods, and eclectic shopping and restaurants. Knoxville offers abundant recreational attractions (e.g. lakes, mountains, rivers), cultural attractions, low cost of living, and high-quality residential neighborhoods. Knoxville is located within 11-hours of dive time of 49.4% of the U.S. population, and within easy driving distance to Nashville, Atlanta, Asheville, Lexington, and the Great Smoky Mountains.

About Our Medical Physics Program

Our program was awarded initial CAMPEP accreditation in 2022. The residency is structured as a two-year training program. By the end of our program, physics residents will be ready to embark on a career in radiation oncology physics. They will be well prepared for their board examinations, and have experience in all the tasks required of a clinical physicist.

Our curriculum follows the recommendations of AAPM Report 249. Learning is structured as a hands-on apprenticeship and lectures, intended to support the resident in incrementally acquiring core competence to practice radiation oncology physics independently.

Residents will work through a series of clinical competencies and rotations including:

Contact Us

Chester Ramsey, Ph.D., DABR, DABMP

Chief Medical Physicist

Thompson Cancer Survival Center

Knoxville, TN 37916

Office: 865-331-3161

[email protected]

 

Rotation Rotation Name (Area of Focus) AAPM Report 249 Category

1

Introduction and Departmental Rotation

4.5.3

2

Electronic Medical Record / Informatics

4.5.8

3

Radiation Safety (General)

4.5.7

4

Patient Safety, Ethics, and Professionalism

4.5.3

5

External Beam Delivery and IGRT

4.5.3 / 4.5.2.1 / 4.5.6.2

6

Image Registration / Fusion / PET

4.5.6.5 / 4.5.6.7

7

Ion Chambers

4.5.5.1 / 4.5.5.2 / 4.5.5.5

8

Linear Accelerator Calibration (TG-51)

4.5.1  / 4.5.2.5 / 4.5.5.2

9

Linear Accelerator QA (TG-142)

4.5.1

10

Special Dosimetry (Film, TLDs, OSL, Diodes, MOSFET)

4.5.5.3-6

11

CT Simulator (Acceptance and QA)

4.5.6.1

12

Conventional External Beam Treatment Planning

4.5.2.1 / 4.5.2.2

13

Monitor Unit Calculations

4.5.2.4

14

IMRT Treatment Planning

4.5.2.2 / 4.5.2.3

15

IMRT Quality Assurance

4.5.2.5

16

Weekly Continuing Physics (Chart Checks and Patient QA)

4.5.2.5

17

Brachytherapy (Planning and Delivery)

4.5.4

18

Stereotactic (GammaKnife and SBRT)

4.5.2.6 / 4.5.6.3

19

Linear Accelerator Annual, ATP, Survey, Commissioning

4.5.1

20

TPS Commissioning and QA

4.5.2.7

21

Linear Accelerator Shielding / Room Design

4.5.7

Application Process and Program Admission

Our residency program only accepts candidates who are graduates of CAMPEP accredited medical physics graduate education programs to ensure that all graduate and undergraduate physics course requirements are met. An individual with a doctoral degree in physics or a related discipline must complete a certificate program of didactic coursework offered by a CAMPEP-accredited graduate program prior to applying for the residency.

 Application Process

  • Download the application packet
  • Applications must be received by December 31st for a start date of July 1
  • Completed applications are submitted to the Program Director and reviewed by the Admissions Subcommittee
  • Candidates selected for the video-chat style interviews will be contacted following the application deadline
  • Top ranked candidates are contacted to initiate the on-site interviews (typically conducted in February or March)
  • Positions are offered to the top candidate(s) using letters of invitation

Medical Physics Program Statistics

Academic Year Number of Applicants Number Offered Admission Number Enrolled in Program Number Completing Program Destination – Clinical Destination – Academic Destination – Government Destination – Still Seeking Employment Destination – Other

2022

1

1

1

2023

7

1

2

2024

7

1

2

1

1

2025

2026

2027

Training Requirements

The Physics Residency Program is structured as a two-year training program, beginning on July 1 of each year.

For successful program completion, the resident must accomplish the following:

  • Successfully complete all aspects of clinical rotations and competencies
  • Successfully complete required reports, attending didactic courses, and passing exams
  • Residents will be evaluated at the completion of rotation by the Program Director and the Sr. Physicists

List of Required Conferences and Meetings:

  • The medical physics residents are required to attend 80% of the weekly radiation oncology chart rounds.
  • Residents are required to attend 3 out 4 quarterly radiation safety committee meetings per year.
  • The medical physics residents are required to attend at least six multidisciplinary clinics (e.g. breast, lung, neuro, GI, GU, etc…) per year.
  • Residents are encouraged to write abstracts, submit research, and to attend regional and national meetings
  • Residents are required to select a minimum of 16 hours from the following interpersonal, professional, and managerial training classes through the Learning and Leadership Development (LLD) department
  • Residents are required to complete the AAPM Online Ethics and Professionalism Course. The AAPM “Online Ethics & Professionalism Modules” are available as part of the membership in the AAPM.