Medical Physicist Initial Experience

Citation:

900.12(a)(3)(i)(B)(3): Have the experience of conducting surveys of at least 1 mammography facility and a total of at least 10 mammography units. No more than one survey of a specific unit within a period of 60 days can be counted towards the total mammography unit survey requirement. After April 28, 1999, experience conducting surveys must be acquired under the direct supervision of a medical physicist who meets all the requirements of paragraphs (a)(3)(i) and (a)(3)(iii) of this section.

Questions:

1. Prior to October 27, 1997, physicists who qualified through the degree, training and experience option had to have two years of experience in conducting performance evaluations of mammography equipment. Will this experience meet the initial experience requirement under the final regulations?

2. Under what conditions may students or trainees work at facilities conducting medical physicist surveys to obtain knowledge and experience prior to meeting the appropriate initial qualifications?

3. What does it mean to be under direct supervision for a medical physicist?

4. Can a mammography unit survey at a non-certified facility count toward the initial experience requirement?

5. What are acceptable methods for documenting medical physicist initial and continuing experience?

6. What are the required minimum qualifications for the supervisor of an individual who is performing surveys to meet the initial experience requirement or to requalify after failing to meet the continuing experience requirement?

7. Under the interim regulations, physicians could not count interventional mammographic examinations toward the initial or continuing experience requirements. Will this same policy be extended to medical physicists under the final regulations?

8. I am a physicist who wishes to become initially qualified as a medical physicist. I completed my 20 contact hours of initial mammography training in screen-film mammography and performed one facility and ten unit surveys under direct supervision but all the surveys were performed in a full field digital mammographic facility. Does this satisfy the regulatory requirement?

9. I am the physicist in question 8. Once I’ve completed my initial requirements, can I independently perform both screen-film and FFDM surveys?

10. I am a physicist who wishes to become initially qualified as a medical physicist. I completed 10 contact hours of initial mammography training in screen-film mammography and performed one facility and ten unit surveys under direct supervision. I wish to count the time spent performing these surveys toward the 20 contact hour requirement. All of the surveys were performed in a full field digital mammographic facility. Is this acceptable and am I qualified to independently perform both screen-film and FFDM surveys?