Also called: Clinical Medical Physicist, Diagnostic Physicist
A physicist who makes sure radiation treatments and imaging machines are safe and precisely accurate.
Checks that a linear accelerator delivers exactly the right radiation dose to a tumor, calibrates MRI and CT scanners, and reviews complex cancer treatment plans. Gets called when a machine behaves strangely.
Estimate based on professional surveys; BLS groups with physicists.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 9 years after high school. Graduate degree (MS or PhD) in medical physics, a 2-year residency, and board certification (ABR).
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, Certification. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Medical Physics, Nuclear Engineering.
Growing faster than average. Small, steady field tied to cancer treatment.
Low risk for 10 years. Automated QA software runs more machine checks; commissioning equipment and signing off on radiation safety stays with licensed experts.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus, Chemistry, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.