Medical Physicist

Tennessee Oncology; Cleveland (TN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Tennessee Oncology seeks a Medical Physicist to ensure safe, accurate delivery of radiation therapy across clinical practice, supporting plan evaluation and IGRT. You will maintain regulatory compliance and contribute to continuous improvement within a multidisciplinary team.

The role includes QA of equipment, development of the Quality Management Program, and guidance on complex cases with radiation oncologists and dosimetrists.

Qualifications

• Master's or doctoral degree in radiological physics, medical physics, or related field.
• Board certification or eligibility in Therapeutic Radiological Physics or Radiological Physics preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years post-degree clinical experience in therapeutic medical physics.

Responsibilities

• Perform calibration, QA, and characterization of delivery systems per guidelines.
• Coordinate with staff and vendors for machine maintenance and repair.
• Oversee treatment plan development, evaluation, and verification.

Skills

Therapeutic medical physics

Radiation dosimetry

Treatment planning

Quality assurance

Regulatory compliance

Analytical skills

Communication

Team collaboration

Programming (Python/C/C++)

Education

MS/PhD in Radiological Physics or related

Tools

Aria

Eclipse

QA/monitoring tools

Job description

The Medical Physicist ensures the safe, accurate, and effective delivery of radiation therapy across all aspects of clinical practice and in accordance with the Radiation Oncologist’s prescribed course of treatment. Responsibilities include treatment planning support, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), quality assurance of equipment and software, radiation safety oversight, and continuous process improvement.

The physicist provides clinical expertise in treatment planning and plan evaluation, maintains accurate clinical documentation, ensures regulatory compliance, and supports the integration and implementation of new technologies. The position functions as a key member of the multidisciplinary care team, contributing to clinical decision‑making, problem solving, and coordination of care to support high‑quality patient outcomes.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Perform routine and annual calibration, QA, and necessary characterization of delivery systems in accordance with national guidelines.
• Serve as the focal point for machine maintenance and repair, coordinating with staff and vendors.
• Oversee the development, optimization, and evaluation of patient treatment plans, including dose distributions, calculations, and verifications.
• Develop and maintain proper records necessary for APEx, NRC, State, or other regulatory or accrediting agencies.
• Provide medical physics service in a manner to meet or exceed established standards of practice consistent with the facility size and available resources.
• Develop, maintain, and monitor the Quality Management Program for radiotherapy equipment, imaging systems, planning systems, and other relevant tools and equipment.
• Evaluate and participate in acceptance testing, commissioning, and clinical implementation of new equipment, software, and technologies.
• Provide clinical guidance and consultation to radiation oncologists, dosimetrists, and therapists regarding complex cases, imaging workflows, and treatment delivery.
• Provide technical direction of radiation oncology staff as specified by the Chief Physicist.
• Contribute to policy development, process improvement, incident learning, and patient safety initiatives.
• Provide technical expertise and support for equipment specifications, RFPs, contract support, etc.
• Support consistent, safe, and efficient clinical operations across all treatment locations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (AREA LEAD PHYSICIST):

• Report to and coordinate with Chief Physicist for implementation of Tennessee Oncology Initiatives, Policies, Practices, and Goals.
• Oversee Area Physics operations and coordinate with Local Medical Director as necessary.
• Support any necessary Area operational reporting, and metric or KPI development.
• Participate in Physics staff meetings.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of therapeutic medical physics, radiation dosimetry, treatment planning, radiation delivery, imaging, quality assurance, and radiation safety.
• Strong analytical, technical, and problem‑solving skills with the ability to evaluate complex clinical and technical issues and exercise sound independent professional judgment.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information effectively to physicians, physicists, dosimetrists, therapists, administrators, vendors, and other healthcare professionals.
• Ability to provide technical guidance, education, and professional support to clinical staff and colleagues.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary clinical environment.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Master of Science or Doctoral degree in Radiological Physics, Physics, or related discipline.
• Certification by the American Board of Radiology or American Board of Medical Physics in Therapeutic Radiological Physics or Radiological Physics, or ‘board eligible’.
• At least two years of post‑degree clinical experience in therapeutic medical physics.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Completion of a CAMPEP accredited clinical medical physics residency program.
• Board certification by the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Radiological Physics.
• Possess working knowledge of radiation safety principles and current rules and regulations of the State of Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation Department of Radiological Health (TDECDRH) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
• Extensive knowledge of modern radiation therapy systems and sub‑systems.
• Experience and fluency in modern treatment planning software systems, Aria and Eclipse treatment planning systems are preferred.
• Proficient in using radiation‑measuring equipment for calibration and quality assurance, treatment planning computers, and oncology information systems in a paperless environment.
• Excellent overall understanding of all activities of a photon radiation therapy department, (e.g., treatment planning, quality assurance, revenue cycle, customer service, medical staff role(s), etc.).
• Flexibility to handle multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Computer skills including but not limited to MS Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Aria.
• Coding skills, such as Python, C++, C#, etc.