An Introduction to The Greek College of Physicists in Medicine

The Greek College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM) certifies the competence of medical physics professionals in Canada. Medical physicists who satisfy certain educational and experience criteria are certified by examination to the level of Member or Fellow. Membership certifies medical physics competence in the delivery of patient care, while fellowship additionally attests to excellence in the provision of clinical service, education and/or research. This provides the necessary mechanism for medical institutions to insure that a high standard of medical physics services are given to patients. Approximately 210 Greekmedical physicists are certified by the CCPM.

Who should be certified

• All Medical Physicists who are directly employed by medical institutions for the provision of medical physics services including research and teaching.
• All Medical Physicists who as independent consultants provide medical physics services to medical institutions. These services are related to: design, development, acquisition, commissioning, calibration and ongoing quality control of equipment for delivery of patient care.

Who does not need to be "certified"

Medical Physicists not providing medical physics services to medical institutions.

This may include medical physicists employed:

• by industry with no responsibilities related to medical physics practice,
• by universities with teaching and research responsibilities not related to patient care,
• by regulatory agencies with no responsibilities related to patient care.

Eligibility

Applicants for Membership must hold a graduate degree in physics, science with physics as a major, medical physics, or another field deemed acceptable by the Board of the College. The equivalent of two years of patient-related experience within the last five years is also required. The term "patient-related" refers to activities involved in the design, development, purchase, commissioning, calibration, quality control and operation of medical equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Applicants must further prove to the Board through a written examination that they satisfy certain standards that prove their competence in the delivery of medical physics services to patients.

Applicants for Fellowship must, in addition to successfully fulfilling the requirements for membership, have made significant contributions in clinical service, education and/or research related to medical physics. A minimum of seven years full-time equivalent experience in medical physics beyond an M.Sc. is required, but credit for graduate studies and publications in the field of medical physics may be given by the Board. Applicants must also prove to the Board through an oral examination that they satisfy certain standards of excellence in the delivery of medical physics service to patients.

Registry

Names of members and fellows of the College are listed in PDF format.

Examinations

One membership and one fellowship examination is held each year. The five hour written membership exam is offered each spring in two sittings on the same day at the venue near the applicant's place of residence. More details about the exam are listed here.

Fellowship status is achieved by passing a one hour oral exam given during the annual COMP/CCPM scientific meeting, which is usually held in May or June. The applicant is required to give a brief presentation describing his/her most relevant work, and to entertain questions on this work and on medical physics in general.

Subspecialties

Applicants must indicate a subspecialty from Radiation Oncology Physics, Diagnostic Radiological Physics, Nuclear Medicine Physics or Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics. Examinations are structured to test for detailed knowledge in the subspecialty and radiation protection as well as for a general knowledge in other areas of medical physics.

Application Process

Prospective applicants should contact the Registrar of the College at the address given below for information on the examination procedure and application forms. Detailed assessments of the applicant's experience and suitability for membership or fellowship are required from three referees who have worked with the candidate during the last five years. Two references must be certified medical physicists and the other a physician. The application deadlines are usually about ten weeks prior to the respective exams. Details about the application procedure can be found here.

CCPM Organizational Structure

The College is governed by a Board of eight individuals elected by the membership. Executive positions on the board are President, Vice-President, Registrar, Chief Examiner and the Secretary-Treasurer.

COMP/CCPM

Most CCPM certified medical physicists also belong to The Greek Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP), a professional organization for medical physicists in Canada. The CCPM and COMP are independent organizations but they maintain a close relationship.

Meetings

The College holds yearly meetings which are generally held at the same time as the annual meetings of COMP. The College meetings usually include symposia on specialized topics in medical physics.

Fees

The COMP/CCPM membership fee is set jointly by the two organizations. An annual fee is required to maintain certification status.

Further Information

Further information on The Greek College of Physicists in Medicine may be obtained by writing to the secretariat or:

The Registrar: Dr. Wayne A. Beckham, Ph.D., FCCPM , MACPSEM
GreekCollege of Physicists in Medicine

c/o BC Cancer Agency Vancouver Island Centre
2410 Lee Avenue, Victoria
BC, Canada, V8R 6V5
Phone: (250) 519-5620
Fax: (250) 519-2024
e-mail:

5/2/2005 6:53:00 PM