Analysis of the Institutional Free Market in Accredited Medical Physics Residency Programs

TL;DR

This study analyzes the growth and trends in accredited medical physics residency programs from 2017 to 2023, highlighting shifts in program types, acceptance criteria, and institutional influences on the free market for residency positions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving landscape of medical physics residencies, including program growth, acceptance trends, and institutional factors influencing the free market.

Findings

Growth in residency positions at approximately 6.5/year for therapy and 2.1/year for imaging.

Increase in programs accepting both MS and PhD graduates from 69 to 105.

Major growth in residencies at university hospitals and large health networks.

Abstract

Purpose: The pathway to clinical medical physics involves 3 distinct stages of accredited positions, including (i) graduate education, (ii) residency training & (iii) employment. While CAMPEP accredits programs & people, the type of positions and numbers available are each more influenced by local institutional free market forces driving their choices. Methods: Understanding the overall status and trajectories of the full range of residency positions was the rationale for this survey, using publicly available data reported 2017 to 2023 timeframe. Results: Current data shows 108 therapy residency programs with 163 positions, and 38 diagnostic imaging residency programs with 39 positions. The total numbers show growth in positions by +6.5/year in therapy, and +2.1/year in imaging. There are 18 therapy and 10 imaging residencies longer than 2 years, all at university hospitals, and nearly all requiring a PhD. The number of programs that accept graduates with either MS or PhD, versus PhD only, has grown, from 69 to 105 from 2017 to 2023. There was a trend in large health networks increasing their residency numbers from 9 to 23 in this timeframe. The total 7-year growth trend was compared to numbers of graduating students, showing reasonable agreement between positions with expected inter-year variation. Conclusions: There has been growth in numbers of accredited residencies, with accompanying shifts in program types & student education expected. Most are 2-years, while there is smaller growth in longer programs with research added in, primarily at university hospitals. Major growth has occurred in residencies accepting both MS and PhD graduates, while those accepting only PhD graduates tends to be more imaging focused and at university centers. Overall, the number positions has been keeping pace with the known growth in graduates from accredited medical physics graduate programs.