MEDICAL RADIATION PHYSICIST

Los Angeles County (CA)•Los Angeles, CA

64d

About The Position

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. Through its unified system of 23 health centers and four hospitals - and expanded network of community partner clinics - DHS annually provides direct care for over 500,000 outstanding patients, employs over 23,000 staff, and has an annual budget of over $8.4 billion. For additional information regarding DHS please visit www.dhs.lacounty.gov. Through academic affiliations with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC), and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences (CDU), DHS hospitals are training sites for physicians completing their Graduate Medical Education in nearly every medical specialty and subspecialty. In addition, to its direct clinical services, DHS also runs the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency and the County's 911 emergency response system, as well as Housing for Health and the Office of Diversion and Re-entry, each with a critical role in connecting vulnerable populations, including those released from correctional and institutional settings, to supportive housing.

Requirements

OPTION I: A Ph.D. in physics, biophysics or medical physics from an accredited college or university with specialization in radiation physics.
OPTION II: A Master's degree in physics, biophysics or medical physics from an accredited college or university with specialization in radiation physics and three years of professional experience in medical radiation physics, including experience with diagnostic x-ray machines, orthovoltage and super-voltage x-ray machines, teletherapy units and radioisotopes.

Nice To Haves

Additional experience in medical radiation physics, including experience with diagnostic x-ray machines, orthovoltage and super-voltage x-ray machines, teletherapy units and radioisotopes beyond the requirements.
A letter from the American Board of Radiology (ABR) stating you are Board eligible.

Responsibilities

Provides consultative advice in medical physics to physicians, and determines optimal clinical use of radiation generated by a variety of equipment used in the fields of diagnostic radiology, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine.
Consults with and assists the physician in determining proper level of treatment; such determinations include establishing the number of x-ray beams to be employed in carrying out treatments, angles of beams in relation to area to be treated, possible effects of treatment upon organs of the body not undergoing treatment, and rate of dose absorption in tissue.
Considers the interacting nature of all of these to advise concerning number of treatments and dosage per treatment.
Employs tables of values, computer programs, and phantom measurements necessitating mathematical and physical calculations.
Computes radiation dosimetry based upon physician's plan, and determines dose distribution to various organs of the body; recommends safe and effective quantities of radioisotopes in nuclear medicine procedures considering variables of isotopes, radioactive decay and absorption rate of particular organs.
Computes and recommends dosimetry for radiation sources in implanted, surface mold and intracavitary treatment applications.
Recommends treatment time for radioactive sources and radiation beams considering radiobiological effects on patient.
Consults with and makes recommendations to physicians on the effective use of equipment and materials in conducting diagnostic examinations with x-ray and other imaging systems, and materials.
Prepares and conducts lectures on the medical physics of beam radiation, nuclear medicine, and radioactive source therapy as part of the resident physician training program.
Instructs technicians in the theoretical and procedural aspects of radiation physics.