This document summarizes a presentation on teaching medical physics at the undergraduate level. It outlines the medical physics profession and qualifications, degrees offered in Saudi Arabia and other countries, and challenges with the current academic program, job market, and clinical training opportunities. The presentation recommends terminating all undergraduate medical physics programs, utilizing resources for master's programs instead, and developing a national residency program to properly qualify medical physicists according to international standards.

1. +
KFMC conference on Physics and Engineering
in medicine 2015, Riyadh
Hussain Albarakaty, Jamaan Alghamdi, Amani
Alsurahi, Samia Aboushoushah
Teaching Medical Physics at
Undergraduate level

2. +
Outlines
 Profession AND qualification.
 Medical physics degree in Saudi Arabia and
worldwide
 Challenges associated with medical physics
degree
 Academic
 Job market
 Training
 Conclusions and Recommendations

3. +
Outlines
 Profession AND qualification
 Medical physics degree in Saudi Arabia and
worldwide
 Challenges associated with medical physics
degree
 Academic
 Job market
 Training
 Conclusions and Recommendations

4. +
Roles and responsibilities of
medical physicists.
Calibration and verification of measurements instruments.
Technical supervision of equipment operation and
maintenance.
Records and documentation
Research and development
Education and training

5. +
Roles and responsibilities of
medical physicists. (Examples)
 Commissioning a linear accelerator.
 Designing a banker of a linear accelerator or a PET machine.
 Treatment planning for radiotherapy.
 Supervision (or co-supervising) MSc and PhD students.
 Organizing an event like this one.
 Recruiting new staff (medical physicists).
 Training follow medical physicists.

6. +
Medical Physics Profession
10 Major groups
18 Minor groups
110 Unit groups
390 Subgroups

7. + International standard classification
of occupations
 Manager
 Professionals
 Science and engineers professionals
 Physical and earth science professionals
 Physicists and astronomers
 Astronomers
 Medical physicists
 Nuclear physicists
 physicists
 Health professionals.
 ………………………
 Technicians and associated professionals.
 …………………………………………………..
Medical Physicists are NOT
technicians . They are
science professionals.

8. +
Outlines
 Profession AND qualification
 Medical physics degree in Saudi Arabia and
worldwide
 Challenges associated with medical physics
degree
 Academic
 Job market
 Training
 Conclusions and Recommendations

9. +
CAMPEP qualification scheme
BSc of Physics
MSc of medical Physics
PhD in Medical
Physics
Residency program
PhD in Medical Physics
QMP

10. +European Federation of
Organizations for Medical Physics

11. + IAEA recommendations*
*Roles and Responsibilities and Education and Training Requirements for Clinically Qualified
Medical Physicists
There is NO place for BSc
of medical physics in
qualification schemes.

12. +
Outlines
 Profession AND qualification.
 Medical physics degree in Saudi Arabia and
worldwide.
 Challenges associated with medical physics
degree:
 Academic
 Job market
 Training
 Conclusions and Recommendations

13. +
Medical physics programs in Saudi
Arabia
 BSc of medical physics, Umm al-Qura University, Department
of physics (started in the 80s)
 BSc of medical physics engineering, King Abdulaziz University,
Department of nuclear engineering (started 2006).
 BSc of medical physics, King Abdulaziz University, Department
of physics (started 2012)
 MSc of medical physics, King Fahad University of Petroleum
and Minerals (started around 2003)

14. +
MP degree in the UK
 There is no BSc in “medical physics”
 Some universities introduce Physics with Medical Physics. For
instance:
 University college London,
 University of Liverpool,
 University of Surrey,
 University of Sheffield,
 University of Nottingham,
 University of Cardiff, University of Birmingham.

15. +University College London

16. +
MP degree in CANDA
 In Canada, there are two types of undergraduate
programs:
 BSs three years program.
 Honors BSc four years program.
 Some of the Canadian Universities introduce Honors
BSc degree in medical physics.

17. +
MP degree in CANDA
Degree offeredDepartmentUniversity
Four year honor degree
in medical biophysics
Medical BiophysicsUniversity of Western
Ontario
Four year honor degree
in Medical and Health
Physics
Faculty of Science – Medical
Physics
Ryerson University
Four year honor degree
in Medical Radiation
Sciences
Medical Radiation SciencesMcMaster University

18. +
Ryerson University
 1ST YEAR & 2ND YEAR

19. +
Ryerson University
 3RD AND 4TH YEAR

20. +
MP degree in USA
 There is no BSc in medical Physics.
 Some of the USA Universities introduce BSc in
applied physics with concentration on some topic.
Some universities have medical physics
concentration like the university of Iowa

21. +
Elor
 There is two program
 Bachelor of science: Physics
 Bachelor of science: Applied physics
 In the later program, the student could choose one these
concentration
(Computer science, Optics, solid state electronics, medical
physics)

22. +
Elor
Total 51

23. +
Elor
Total 51

24. +
Outlines
 Profession AND qualification.
 Medical physics degree in Saudi Arabia and
worldwide.
 Challenges associated with medical physics
degree:
 Academic
 Job market
 Training
 Conclusions and Recommendations

25. +
Undermining the basics of physics
Classical
Mechanics
Electrodynamics
ModernPhysics
Nuclear Physics
Solid state
physics
Applied physics
i.e.
medical physics
Quantum Mechanics
Mathematics (computer science)
190
0

26. +
Undermining the basics of physics
Course Number of courses
KAU UQU
Classical Mechanics 0 1
Electricity & Magnetism 0 1
Modern Physics 1 1
Nuclear Physics 1/2 0
Quantum Physics 0 1
Solid State & Semiconductors 0 1
Mathematics 3 2

27. +
Outlines
 Profession AND qualification.
 Medical physics degree in Saudi Arabia and
worldwide.
 Challenges associated with medical physics
degree:
 Academic
 Job market
 Training
 Conclusions and Recommendations

28. +
Job Market challenge
 BSc of medical physics, Umm al-Qura University, Department
of physics (??)
 BSc of medical physics engineering, King Abdulaziz University,
Department of nuclear engineering (??)
 BSc of medical physics, King Abdulaziz University, Department
of physics (about 100 students)

29. +
Job Market challenge
In developed countries: (15 – 20) medical
physicist per million population.*
If we aim to this concentration, we estimate
that SA needs between 420 and 560 medical
physicist.
Currently, there is around 300 medical
physicist in SA. (members of SMPS excluding students)
*Ervin B. Podgorsak , radiation physics for medical physics
*Ervin B. Podgorsak. The World of Medical Physics, lecture King Faisal Specialist Hospital &
Research Center ,Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2014

30. +
Job Markets (Con)
staffing
equipment
Population
Howmanymedical
physicsweneed?
×

31. +
Training challenge
 Medical physics is practical subject and training in clinical
centers is necessary components in any medical physics
program.
 The clinical centers can not accommodate large number of
trainees.
 Undergraduate students do not have sufficient knowledge to
absorb the instructions of their trainers.

32. +
Conclusions and Recommendations
 Medical Physics is a profession requires high level of
knowledge and skills.
 Graduate students can not have the knowledge and skills to
handle their tasks safely and efficiently.
 All international medical physics organization does not
recognize medical physics undergraduate degree in their
qualification scheme.
 Undergraduate degree in medical physics might seriously
undermined the basics of physics.
 Undergraduate programs

33. +
Conclusions and Recommendations
 Termination of all undergraduate programs in medical physics.
 Utilizing the available resource in MSc programs.
 Three programs are needed (western region, central region, and
eastern region)
 Developing and Implanting qualification scheme.
 National residency program is badly needed.

34. +
Acknowledgments
Many Thanks To:
 Dr. Jamman Al-Ghamadi
 Dr. Samia Aboushoushah
 Amani Alsurahi

35. +
Thank you for attention