Section 335.9150  Training for Authorized Medical Physicist

Except as provided in Section 335.9160 of this Part, the licensee shall require the authorized medical physicist to be an individual who:

a)         Is certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the Agency, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an Agreement State or a Licensing State and who meets the requirements in subsections (b)(2) and (c) of this section.  To be recognized, a specialty board shall require all candidates for certification to:

1)         Hold a master's degree or doctorate in physics, medical physics, other physical science, engineering or applied mathematics from an accredited college or university;

2)         Have 2 years of full-time practical training and/or supervised experience in medical physics:

A)        Under the supervision of a medical physicist who is certified in medical physics by a specialty board recognized by the Agency, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an Agreement State or a Licensing State; or

B)        In clinical radiation facilities providing high energy, external beam therapy (photons and electrons with energies greater than or equal to 1 million electron volts) and brachytheraphy services under the direction of physicians who meet the requirements for authorized users in Section 335.9100 or 335.9140 of this Part;

3)         Pass an examination, administered by diplomate of the specialty board, that assesses knowledge and competence in clinical radiation therapy, radiation safety, calibration, quality assurance, and treatment planning for external beam therapy, brachytherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery.

AGENCY NOTE:  Specialty boards whose certification processes have been recognized by the Agency, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an Agreement State or a Licensing State will be posted on the NRC's Web page.

b)         Holds a master's degree or doctorate in physics, medical physics or other physical science, engineering or applied mathematics from an accredited college or university and:

1)         Has completed 1 year of full-time training in medical physics and an additional year of full-time work experience under the supervision of an individual who meets the requirements for an authorized medical physicist for the type(s) of use for which the individual is seeking authorization.  This training and work experience must be conducted in clinical radiation facilities that provide high energy, external beam therapy and brachytherapy services and must include:

A)        Performing sealed source leak tests and inventories;

B)        Performing decay corrections;

C)        Performing full calibration and periodic spot checks of external beam treatment units, stereotactic radiosurgery units and remote afterloading units as applicable;

D)        Conducting radiation monitoring around external beam treatment units, stereotactic radiosurgery units and remote afterloading units, as applicable; and

2)         Has obtained written attestation that the individual has satisfactorily completed the requirements in subsection (a)(1) and (2) or (b) and (c) of this Section and has achieved a level of competency sufficient to function independently as an authorized medical physicist for each type of therapeutic medical unit for which the individual is requesting authorized medical physicist status.  The written attestation must be signed by a preceptor authorized medical physicist who meets the requirements of this Section or equivalent U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Agreement State or Licensing State requirements for an authorized medical physicist for each type of therapeutic medical unit for which the individual is requesting authorized medical physicist status.

c)         Has training for the type(s) of use for which authorization is sought that includes hands-on device operation, safety procedures, clinical use and the operation of a treatment planning system.  This training requirement may be satisfied by satisfactorily completing either a training program provided by the vendor or by training supervised by an authorized medical physicist authorized for the type(s) of use for which the individual is seeking authorization.

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 9247, effective June 13, 2008)