THERAPEUTIC MEDICAL PHYSICIST (ADVANCED LEVEL)

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Qualifications:

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)
• English Language Proficiency: TMPs must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• Education: Master's degree or higher in a physics, science, or engineering discipline recognized by an accredited college or university with at least 30 semester hours in medical physics, health physics, radiological science, physics, engineering, chemistry, or biology; or an equivalent foreign degree and coursework substantiated by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.
• Board Certification: Persons hired or reassigned to TMP positions in the VHA must be board certified in the field of therapeutic medical physics by an approved certifying body. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirements for continuing education.
  • Approved Certifying Bodies:
    • The American Board of Radiology (ABR) in any of the following field titles:
      1. Therapeutic Medical Physics
      2. Therapeutic Radiologic or Therapeutic Radiological Physics
      3. Radiologic Physics or Radiological Physics
    • The American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP) in the subfield of Radiation Oncology Physics.
    • The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM) in the subfield of Radiation Oncology Physics.

Loss of Board Certification. Once board certified, TMPs must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of board certification may result in termination of employment.

Grade Determinations:

GS-14 Therapeutic Medical Physicist ( Advanced Level)

Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, completion of a minimum of 1 year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the next lower grade. This experience may include but is not limited to: plans, delivers, verifies, and monitors quality assurance of radiotherapy at all levels of complexity. Specific tasks include: recommending an optimal modality and treatment technique for the patient; evaluating the quality, safety, and accuracy of radiation treatments planned and delivered to patients, thus ensuring that radiation dose is carried out correctly and completely; and safely operating all radiation planning and delivery devices. The TMP implements radiation therapy of outstanding technical difficulty and responsibility, providing knowledge-based solutions to resolving issues where no rule-based solutions exist. The employee plans and directs a specialized program encompassing all physics and clinical aspects of external beam and brachytherapy treatment procedures from treatment simulation to treatment planning to the actual treatment delivery. The TMP provides technical oversight for the work of entry level TMPs, medical dosimetrists and radiation therapists. The incumbent oversees radiation therapy treatment planning; designs and approves treatment plans; monitors the accuracy of treatment data recorded in the patient's medical records; provides consultation to the radiation oncologist regarding difficult treatment cases; performs patient-specific treatment validation measurements; and develops medical physics policies and procedures for the delivery and quality assessment of advanced treatment modalities such as intensity modulated radiation therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy, and brachytherapy. The TMP develops, operates and fully documents the medical physics quality assurance program and ensures regulatory compliance within the Radiation Safety Officer's radiation safety program. The employee safely utilizes and properly operates all radiation oncology equipment, and is therefore qualified and responsible for educating radiation oncology team members including radiation oncologists, radiation therapists and dosimetrists in safety issues that relate to radiotherapy planning and delivery.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Advanced expertise and experience in the safe and efficient use of all radiotherapy devices for external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy.
2. Highly developed expertise with commissioning linear accelerators and treatment planning systems for complex clinical use, to include project management, performance testing, data acquisition, beam modeling, and validation testing.
3. Advanced knowledge (treatment simulation, planning, dosimetry, and treatment methods) of the scientific, clinical, and technical applications of one or more specialized procedures including, but not limited to, high dose rate brachytherapy, low dose rate brachytherapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy, stereotactic radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, total body irradiation, advanced image-guided therapy, and adaptive therapy.
4. Advanced expertise in acceptance testing, clinical commissioning, and (when applicable) calibration procedures for a variety of ancillary radiation oncology delivery, imaging, dosimetry, metrology, and computational systems.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14.

Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 lbs); Moderate carrying (15-44 lbs); straight pulling (1 hour); pushing (1 hour); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking (8-12 hours); standing (8-12 hours); ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaegar 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; both eyes required; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; hearing (aid permitted). Transferring patients and objects may be required. Don protective clothing in isolation situation or operative / invasive procedures. May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

Continued under EDUCATION below...

Responsibilities:

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• The advanced Level TMP manages the development and implementation of advanced techniques and special initiatives in radiotherapy, collaborates with radiation oncologists in the development of new clinical protocols, and directs special projects involving clinical applications, clinical research, or quality assurance.
• Serves as a subject matter expert on certain aspects of therapeutic medical physics in which the incumbent has achieved national recognition through research and peer-reviewed publications.
• The Advanced performance level TMP has both the documented professional experience and the demonstrated expertise in medical physics to provide consultative services to the National Radiation Oncology Program( NROP), the National Health Physics Program(NHPP), other VHA program offices and other federal agencies if requested.
• Board certified or board eligible and performs the depth and breadth of clinical practice of therapeutic medical physics.
• Plans, delivers, verifies, and monitors quality assurance of radiotherapy at all levels of complexity.
• Recommends optimal modality and treatment technique for the patient; evaluates the quality, safety, and accuracy of radiation treatments planned and delivered to patients, thus ensuring that radiation dose is carried out correctly and completely; and safely operates all radiation planning and delivery devices.
• Implements radiation therapy of outstanding technical difficulty and responsibility, providing knowledge-based solutions where no rule-based solutions exist.
• Plans and directs a specialized program encompassing all physics and clinical aspects of external beam and brachytherapy treatment procedures from treatment simulation to treatment planning to actual treatment delivery.
• Provides technical oversight for the work of developmental TMPs, Medical dosimetrist and radiation Therapists.
• Oversees radiation therapy treatment planning; designs and approves treatment plans; monitors the accuracy of treatment data recorded in the patient's medical records, provides consultation to the radiation oncologist regarding difficult treatment cases, and performs patient specific treatment validation measurements; and develops medical physics policies and procedures for the delivery and quality assessment of advanced treatment modalities such as intensity modulated radiation therapy , stereotactic body radiation therapy and brachytherapy.
• Develops, operates and fully documents the medical physics quality assurance program and ensures regulatory compliance within within the Radiation Safety Officer's radiation Oncology equipment, and is therefore qualified and responsible for educating radiation oncology team members including radiation oncologists, radiation therapists and dosimetrists in safety issues that relate to radiotherapy planning and delivery.
• The advanced performance level TMP will be knowledgeable user and subject matter expert in the use of the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system, Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator treatment delivery system, Varian ARIA Record and Verify System, and Sun Nuclear, Mobius, Modus Medical QA equipment and software, and Radialogica Full Access and MIMS Medical Software systems.
• The advance performance level TMP will also be an expert om the following special procedures: dMLC IMRT, VMAT, IGRT, and Motion Management/ Gated Treatment.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday; 08:00am-04:30pm. Schedule may be subject to change based on the needs of the facility.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 91435-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Salary : $193,615 - $200,000