THE
AMERICAN BOARD OF MEDICAL PHYSICS
INFORMATION BOOKLET 2010
(WEB
VERSION, modified 2/13/2010)
American
Board of Medical Physics, Inc.
Phone: (281) 944-9482
Fax: (866) 861-8280 (tollfree)
Email: abmpexdir@comcast.com
PURPOSES
OF THE BOARD
The
American Board of Medical
Physics, Inc., is an
independent, non-profit
organization which was incorporated in July, 1988.
The objectives and purposes of the Board are as follows:
- To establish minimum acceptable
standards of profesional
knowledge and improve the quality of practice of medical physics. For
the purposes of the Board, medical physics is defined as the
application of physics and related sciences to the clinical practice of
medicine.
- To develop standards and procedures
for the certification of medical physicists.
- To establish and evaluate
qualifications of voluntary candidates requesting examination for
certification in medical physics.
- To arrange, control, and conduct
examinations to test the competence of candidates for certification.
- To grant and issue certificates in
the field of medical physics to applicants who have been found
qualified by the Board.
- To maintain a registry of holders
of such certificates and serve the medical and lay public by preparing
and furnishing lists of medical physicists
who have been certified by the Board.
CERTIFICATION
The
American Board of Medical Physics offers voluntary certification by
examination
for eligible candidates. Upon successfully passing the
prerequisite
examination (Part I) in General Medical Physics or
Magnetic Resonance
Imaging Science and both written (Part II) and
oral (Part III)
specialty examinations in MRI Physics, or Medical Health Physics,
candidates
may identify themselves as Certified Medical Physicists or Diplomates
of the
American Board of Medical Physics. The certificate awarded by
the Board
is not a license, and therefore does not confer any legal qualification
or privilege
to practice medical physics.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS
The
following minimum qualifications are required of candidates who wish to
take
the three part American Board of Medical Physics
examinations. Admission
to the examinations will be determined by the Board of Directors.
Part I (General Medical
Physics) for Health Physics and/or MRI Physics.
1.
Education
A graduate degree in physics, medical
physics, or other appropriate
related field from an accredited university.
2.
Professional Experience
(a) No
professional experience required.
Part I (Magnetic Resonance
Imaging Science) for MRI Physics only.
1.
Education
A graduate
degree in physical science involving nuclear magnetic resonance or MRI
from an
accredited university.
2.
Professional Experience
(a) No
professional experience required.
Part II Medical Health
Physics; Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics
1.
Education
(a) Requirements
as specified above for Part I
2.
Professional Experience
(a) Must have participated in clinical residency training from an
accredited
program or must have been engaged in the practice of clinical
medical
physics or MRI science post graduate under the supervision of
a Board
certified medical physicist for a minimum period of time preceding the
date of
the examination. (See Table I). The experience for Medical
Health Physics
must be obtained as a provider of services in a healthcare facility.
(b) same as in (b) of
Part III.
Note: The ABMP will waive Part
I (General Medical
Physics or MRI Science) exam requirement for physicists who are already
passed
the Part I examination offered by the ABMP, ABR, the CCPM (Canadian
College of
Physics in Medicine), or ABHP (American Board of Health
Physics). A
medical physicist who is
certified by any of the above
boards and is eligible to apply for certification in another
subspecialty
offered by the ABMP, can apply directly for Part II examination in that
subspecialty.
FEES
For
each part, the entire amount due in U.S. dollars must accompany the
completed
application.
Payment
may be made by check or money order. Make checks or money
orders payable
to: American Board of Medical Physics, Inc.
Applications
accompanied by incorrect fees will be returned. For
applications received
after the due date, a non-refundable late fee will be assessed for each
part of
the examination.
Part
I FOR Medical
Health Physics and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics
Candidates.
|
Testing Fee |
$100.00 |
|
Late Fee |
$100.00 |
Part
II: Medical
Health Physics and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics Candidates.
|
Testing Fee |
$400.00 |
|
Late Fee |
$100.00 |
Part
III: Medical
Health Physics and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics Candidates.
|
Testing Fee |
$400.00 |
|
Condition retake |
$200.00 |
|
Late Fee |
$100.00 |
The
testing fee must be submitted each time a candidate requests to take an
examination, including retake examinations. Once accepted to
any part of
the examination there will be no transfer or refund if the candidate
requests a
postponement or fails to appear.
Fees are non-refundable
and non-transferable after notice of acceptance has been mailed.
AMERICAN
BOARD OF MEDICAL PHYSICS
PROTOCOL
FOR CONDUCT OF ORAL EXAMINATIONS
EXAMINATION
COMMITTEE:
The examination panel will consist
of a chairman and
two to three members, all of whom vote on the candidate's performance.
EXAMINATION STYLE:
Candidates for oral examination
will have already
demonstrated an adequate fund of knowledge by successfully completing
the
written examinations of Parts I and II. The purpose of the
oral
examination is to assure that the candidate has sufficient clinical
experience
and can demonstrate proper responses to clinical situations.
The
examination will be approximately two hours in length.
EXAMINATION SCORE:
There
are 3 possible outcomes - pass, conditional pass or fail. Conditional
pass may
be obtained in up to three of the topics of the exam; conditioned
candidates
will be required to be reexamined only in the conditioned topics at the
next
examination date.
2010 TESTING SCHEDULE
Part I: General Medical
Physics Written Exam
Saturday,
July 17, 2010 in
conjunction with the AAPM 52nd Scientific Meeting in
Part I: Magnetic Resonance
Science Written Exam
Saturday, July 17, 2010 in
conjunction with the AAPM 52nd Scientific Meeting in
Part II: Medical Health
Physics Written Exam
Sunday,
July 18, 2010 in
conjunction with the AAPM 52nd Scientific Meeting in
Part II: Magnetic Resonance
Imaging Physics Written Exam
Sunday,
July 18, 2010 in
conjunction with the AAPM 52nd Scientific Meeting in
****
Applications must be received no later than May 1, 2010
in order to take
the written examinations in July, 2010 *****
Part III: Magnetic
Resonance Imaging Physics Oral Exam
Saturday,
July 18, 2010 in
conjunction with the AAPM 52nd Scientific Meeting in
Part III: Medical
Health Physics Oral Exam
Saturday,
July 18, 2010 in
conjunction with the AAPM 52nd Scientific Meeting in
****
Applications must be
received no later than May 1, 2010 in order to
take the oral
examinations on July, 2010 *****
Part
III Orals - All Exams
1.
Prerequisites
(a) Must have successfully passed
Parts I and II.
2.
Professional Experience
(a) Must
have been engaged in the
practice of clinical medical physics or MRI science post graduate for a
minimum
period of time preceding the date of the examination. (See
Table I).
The experience for Medical Health Physics must be obtained as a
provider of
services in a healthcare facility.
(b) Only
one-half of total training years
will be credited towards professional experience. Applicants
from
clinical residency programs will receive full credit.
VERIFICATION OF QUALIFICATION
Each
applicant will be required to submit proof of certain educational and
experience prerequisites. Candidates applying for Part II examination will also
be required to obtain two (2)
letters of endorsement to verify their work experience and professional
qualifications. Acceptable verification must be obtained from
a Certified Medical
Physicist and a Certified Physician who
practices in a medical specialty related to the candidate's field, and
who have
personal knowledge of the candidate's training, experience, and ethical
standing. Letters of endorsement must be forwarded directly
to the Board
by the professional references. It is the applicants
responsibility to ensure that these letters are received in a timely
manner. The application will be considered incomplete without
the two
letters.
TABLE
I:
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
|
Highest Degree |
Experience Required for Part II
(Years) |
Experience Required for Part III (Years) |
|
M.S. (physical science or
engineering) |
4 |
6 |
|
M.S. (medical physics or MRI
science program) |
2 |
4 |
|
M.S. (medical physics accredited
program) |
1 |
3 |
|
Ph.D. or other doctoral degree
(physical science or engineering) |
2 |
4 |
|
Ph.D. or other doctoral degree
(medical physics or MRI science program) |
1 |
3 |
|
Ph.D. or other doctoral degree
(medical physics accredited program) |
1 |
2 |
|
M.S. (accredited program +clinical
residency) |
0 |
1 |
|
Ph.D. or other doctoral degree
(accredited program + clinical residency) |
0 |
1 |
EXAMINATIONS
The
examination is in three (3) parts:
Part I
is written and consists of matching, multiple choice, and true-false
questions
of the objective type. It is designed to determine the
competence of the
candidate in fundamental aspects of medical physics.
Part II
is written and consists of matching,
multiple choice, and true-false questions of the objective
type. It is
designed to determine the competence of the candidate in a specialty
area of
medical physics.
Part III
is an oral examination
conducted by a multi-member examination panel. It is designed
to
determine the candidate's knowledge and fitness to practice clinical
medical
physics in a designated specialty area.
A study guide/syllabus, found on the ABMP web page, is available for
each part
of the examination.
Parts I and II of the examination may be taken together or
individually.
Only one (1) Part II specialty exam may be taken on a single testing
date.
Candidates must pass both Part
I and Part II before
taking Part III.
Separate application forms must be submitted for each part of the
examination
accompanied by the appropriate fees.
EXAMINATION
CONTENT
OUTLINES
|
SUBJECT |
WEIGHT |
|
Radiological
Physics |
20 |
|
Radiation
Detection and Measurement |
15 |
|
Biology
and Radiobiology |
5 |
|
Radiation
Protection |
15 |
|
Imaging
and Other Diagnostic Studies |
17 |
|
Principles
of Radiation Therapy |
15 |
|
Anatomy,
Physiology, and Medical Science |
7 |
|
Computers |
6 |
|
SUBJECT |
WEIGHT |
|
Atomic
& Nuclear Physics |
15 |
|
Chemistry
& Biochemistry |
15 |
|
Anatomy
& Physiology |
15 |
|
Medical
Biophysics |
10 |
|
Imaging
Science and Image Processing |
15 |
|
Medical
& Radiological Practice |
10 |
|
Clinical
Statistics & Random Error Analysis |
10 |
Part II.
Medical Health Physics
|
SUBJECT |
WEIGHT |
|
Instrumentation |
15 |
|
Laboratory
Design |
5 |
|
Standards
and Regulations |
10 |
|
Structural
Shielding Design |
15 |
|
Radiation
Oncology: Quality Assurance |
10 |
|
Brachytheraphy: Quality Assurance |
10 |
|
Diagnostic
X-Ray: Quality Assurance |
10 |
|
Nuclear
Medicine: Quality Assurance |
10 |
|
Radiopharmaceutical
Therapy |
10 |
|
Non-Ionizing
Radiation |
5 |
Part II. Magnetic Resonance
Imaging Physics
|
SUBJECT |
WEIGHT |
|
The
Physics of NMR |
15 |
|
MR
Imaging Theory & Image Reconstruction |
15 |
|
Image
Characteristics & Artifacts |
15 |
|
Advanced
Imaging Techniques & System Features |
15 |
|
Radiation
Oncology: Quality Assurance |
15 |
|
Contrast
Enhancement, MR Angiography & Cardiac MRI |
15 |
|
MR
Technology & Equipment Quality Control |
15 |
|
Site
Planning & Safety of MR Examinations |
10 |
*Please Note: Those
who have previously passed
the ABR’s
Part One examination on General Medical
Physics may petition to waive the requirement to take both the General
Medical Physics
and Magnetic Resonance Science Part I ABMP examinations.
EXAMINATIONS
IN TRADITIONAL AREAS OF MEDICAL PHYSICS
The Radiation
Oncology Phyiscs
and Diagnostic Imaging
Physics Examinations were offered by ABMP for the final
time
in 2005.
Individuals
interested in certification in these, traditional areas, of medical
physics are
encouraged to contact the American Board of Radiology:
The American
Board of Radiology
Phone (520) 790-2900
Fax: (520) 790-3200
Email: information@theabr.org
Website: www.theabr.org
Full
details of the 2001 agreement between the ABMP
& ABR may also be accessed at the ABMP website:
RE-EXAMINATIONS
A
candidate who fails to pass any part of the three part examination may
be
admitted to a second examination after paying the appropriate
fee. If any
part of the examination has been taken unsuccessfully three (3) times,
the
candidate will be required to reapply for the entire sequence of
examinations.
There is a time limit of 10 years to complete the certification process.
REVOCATION
OF CERTIFICATION
The
American Board of Medical Physics, Inc. has the right to revoke any
certificate
which it has awarded in the event that the recipient engages in actions
which
are considered to be in violation of the statement "Guidelines For Ethical Practice For Medical
Physicists" published
by The American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
CHANGES
IN REQUIREMENTS
Current
requirements, procedures, and fees of the American Board of Medical
Physics,
Inc. are subject to change without notice. No changes will be
retroactive.
Information regarding the agreement between the ABMP and ABR and FAQ's
may be
found on the ABMP website.
For
application forms and study guides contact:
American Board
of Medical Physics,
Inc.
Phone:
(281) 944-9482; Fax:
(866) 861-8280 [tollfree]
Email: abmpexdir@comcast.com
Website:
www.abmpexam.com
TEST CENTER INFORMATION
Eligible
registered candidates will be sent an admission card prior to the test
date
indicating the location, date, and time of the test. Each
candidate must
present this admission card and a
picture
identification in order to be admitted to the test.
The
following rules will be observed at all test centers in order to ensure
uniform
testing conditions for Part I and Part II examinations:
1. Candidates must follow
instructions on the admission
card and arrive at the test center on time. Proctors will not
admit
candidates who arrive after the reading of the examination instructions
has
begun.
2. Candidates should bring several
#2 pencils with
them to the test center.
3. Non-programmable silent
calculators (not requiring
electrical outlets) may be taken into the test center.
4. No test materials, documents, or
memoranda of any
kind may be taken from the test center.
5. Visitors will not be permitted
in the test centers
6. Proctors will be instructed to
answer questions
about testing procedures only. They will not
respond to inquiries regarding test content.
7. Any candidate giving or
receiving assistance from
another candidate will be required to turn his/her test materials in
and leave
the test center. The candidate will be required to
reapply for the
entire sequence of examinations.
AMERICAN BOARD OF MEDICAL PHYSICS, INC. 2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dean
W. Broga, Ph.D., Chair,
Frank
R. Korosec,
Niko Papanikolaou, Ph.D.,
Treasurer,
Matthew Bernstien, Ph.D.
John P.
Gibbons Jr. , Ph.D.
Mary
E. Moore, M.S.
Michael
A. Sheetz,
M.S.,
Michael
V. Yester, Ph.D.
EXAMINATION
PANELS
Medical
Health Physics
Steven H. King,
M.S, Chair
Magnetic
Resonance Imaging
Terry
Button, Ph.D. &
Geoffrey D. Clarke, Ph.D.,
Co-Chairs
STAFF
Executive
Director
Cynthia
Archer
Co-Executive Director
Ben Archer, Ph.D.
Test Consultant
James
Hecht, Ph.D.
Credentialing Services, Inc
Webmaster
Geoffrey
D. Clarke, Ph.D.