Whitney Palmer

Medical Physicists and Quality of Care in Radiology

Published on the Oct. 9, 2014, DiagnosticImaging.com website

By Whitney L.J. Howell

When it comes to having an imaging study, patients can identify most of the team members. They recognize the radiologist, the technologist, and the nurses involved. But the one team member they might not know exists – the medical physicist – is the one who often plays the biggest role in keeping them safe.

In the United States, there are approximately 8,000 medical physicists working in hospitals and clinics. However, even in 2014, not every state requires that a medical physicist be part of a diagnostic imaging management team. Currently, according to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), 19 states offer neither licensure nor registration for this profession.

“A lot of people don’t know what medical physicists do. We’re very behind the scenes,” said Jessica Clements, medical physics director and radiation safety officer for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. “Radiation is all over the hospital, so we play an important role because of the widespread use of medical imaging and radiation.”

Read the article in its entirety at its original location here: http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/practice-management/medical-physicists-and-quality-care-radiology?cid=tw

October 9, 2014 - Posted by wjpalmer | Healthcare | American Association of Physicists in Medicine, Jessica Clements, Mayo Clinic medical physics, medical physicist, medical physicist in radiology, medical physicists and protocol management, medical physicists check imaging equipment, medical physicists role in patient care, medical physicists role in patient safety, medical physics in nuclear medicine, medical physics in radiation oncology, medical physics in radiology, Richard Morin, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital