THERAPEUTIC MEDICAL PHYSICIST (SUPERVISORY LEVEL)
The incumbent will be first line supervisor of other VA personnel working in the Radiation Therapy Department at David Grant Medical Center. Incumbent will supervise the dosimetrist, lead radiation therapist, radiation therapy technicians and administrative specialist. Duties (but not limited to):
Linac QA:
The incumbent will participate in the calibration of radiation beams from treatment units. This involves (a) maintaining the calibration of quality assurance devices such as ion chambers and electrometers, (b) measuring beam parameters via ion chambers in solid water or a scanning water tank, film, and TLDs, (c) and comparing this data against the commissioning data using established guidelines (e.g., AAPM Task Group #40). The incumbent will provide machine quality controls of the OBI, EPID, and Rapid Arc systems. Physics QA of every IMRT patient treatment plan will also be provided. Prostate Brachytherapy Program Management:
The incumbent will participate in the management of the Prostate Brachytherapy program. This involves routine assays of sources for permanent implant, generation and review of treatment plans and post-treatment plans, and participation in the Quality Management program. External Beam Treatment Planning:
The incumbent will supervise treatment planning, the components of which are:
(a) supervision of patient contours and/or imaging studies (e.g., CT), (b) determination of dose at different points within the treatment volume, (c) selection of beams (together with their angles, weights, collimation, and filtering), (c) generation of isodose curves or other information and dosimetry, and (d) selection of wedges, bolus, and other devices necessary for proper treatment. The incumbent will also cross-check hand calculation and computer calculations made by others. Radiation Modifier Fabrication:
The incumbent will participate in (a) the preparation of radiation therap treatment devices such as custom field blocks, tissue compensators, and build-up boluses,and (b) the planning and the production of molds, casts and other immobilization devices. Patient Positioning Supervision:
The incumbent will establish and supervise accuracy in patientpositioning for treatment. Responsible for follow-up plans; treatment setups during the course ofpatient treatment; and proposing changes, depending on the initial plan of treatment, such as reduced field size, and changes needed for safety purposes, such as blocking of spinal cord or other sensitive structures and organs, etc. Chart/Plan Checks:
The incumbent will review the ongoing treatments given to each patient. Thisincludes (a) participation in clinical conferences with physicians to review current patients and consult on new patient treatments, and (b) certification of the accuracy of dosimetry and all pertinent entries made by technologist. Research Protocol Support:
The incumbent will assist in Radiation Therapy research by documenting dosimetry information for patients enrolled in the various Co-Operative Group clinical trials (RTOG, SWOG, CALGB, ECOG, etc.), Investigator initiated clinical trials, and/or industry sponsored clinical trials. ALL OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED (ON FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT) AND ANY OTHER DUTIES ASSIGNED Work Schedule:
Monday-Friday (as needed) Financial Disclosure Report:
Not required To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/22/2019. Basic Requirements:
Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) Education. Master's degree or higher in a physics, science, or engineering discipline recognized by an accredited college or university with at least 30 semester hours in medical physics, health physics, radiological science, physics, engineering, chemistry, or biology; or an equivalent foreign degree and coursework substantiated by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. Board Certification. Persons hired or reassigned to TMP positions in the VHA must be board certified in the field of therapeutic medical physics by an approved certifying body. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirements for continuing education. (1) Approved Certifying Bodies:
(a) The American Board of Radiology (ABR) in any of the following field titles:
1. Therapeutic Medical Physics; 2. Therapeutic Radiologic or Therapeutic Radiological Physics; 3. Radiologic Physics or Radiological Physics (b) The American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP) in the subfield of Radiation Oncology Physics; (c) The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM) in the subfield of Radiation Oncology Physics. English Language Proficiency. TMPs must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). a. Creditable Experience (1) Knowledge of Current Medical Physicist Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current professional TMP practice. The experience must be post-master's degree or above. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional TMP. (2) Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's or doctoral degree in medical physics, physics, or another relevant physical science or engineering discipline from an accredited training program and includes work as a professional TMP directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to TMP experience at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significantly larger scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. (3) Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional TMP is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a TMP employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2- time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service. (4) Clinical Training/Clinical Residency. TMPs go through a post-graduate clinical training program in therapeutic medical physics before they are eligible to work as a TMP. The post-graduate clinical training may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. b. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-14 Supervisory Therapeutic Medical Physicist (a) Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, completion of a minimum of 1 year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the next lower grade. (b) Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. A supervisory TMP provides professional, scientific, and clinical practice of therapeutic medical physics for external beam and brachytherapy treatment procedures from treatment simulation to treatment planning to the actual treatment delivery. The incumbent oversees the technical development and implementation of new radiotherapy techniques and modalities; oversees the activities of all other TMPs, dosimetrists, and other staff members assigned to the unit; directs the technical aspects of treatment procedures; and, performs duties qualifying them as a supervisor to include planning and directing work, developing performance plans, evaluating staff performance, and other administrative functions. (For full assignment, please see reference.) (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
1. Ability to oversee the technical development and implementation of new radiotherapy techniques and modalities. This includes knowledge of current standards of care, VA policies, trends and changes in delivery technology, as well as fair, principled, and decisive leadership practices. 2. Ability to optimize technical infrastructure and workflow for streamlined operations in the department of radiation oncology. This includes the knowledge and application of techniques such as Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). 3. Ability to assess the qualifications and abilities of current and prospective employees, to include staff performance evaluations and professional development. 4. Advanced knowledge of regulatory requirements, manufacturer's standards, and professional society guidelines for performing quality assurance of radiation therapy equipment to include accelerators, simulators, and high dose rate/low dose rate brachytherapy delivery systems. 5. Ability to use written and verbal communication with a strong command of technical writing considerations. 6. Ability to collaborate with the members of other disciplines and supervisors and to represent the profession both in and outside of VHA. This includes knowledge of the roles, contributions, and interrelationships with other health care specialties and supporting divisions. 7. Knowledge of instructional methods and documenting competencies. 8. Ability to manage and supervises employees. References:
VA Handbook 5005/83, Part II, Appendix G48, available in the local Human Resources Physical Requirements:
Light-heavy lifting (15-44 pounds and over; light-moderate carrying (Under 1544 pounds); Pulling, pushing, reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, walking/standing around 8 hours, kneeling, both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13 to 16 to Jaeger 1 to 4, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors, hearing (aid permitted). Environmental factors include dust, fumes, smoke or gases, radiant energy, slippery or uneven walking surfaces, working around machinery with moving parts, working around moving objects or vehicles, working closely with others, working alone, protracted or irregular hours of work and possible exposure to Infectious Diseases and/or Radioactive materials.
Estimated Salary: $20 to $28 per hour based on qualifications.
Linac QA:
The incumbent will participate in the calibration of radiation beams from treatment units. This involves (a) maintaining the calibration of quality assurance devices such as ion chambers and electrometers, (b) measuring beam parameters via ion chambers in solid water or a scanning water tank, film, and TLDs, (c) and comparing this data against the commissioning data using established guidelines (e.g., AAPM Task Group #40). The incumbent will provide machine quality controls of the OBI, EPID, and Rapid Arc systems. Physics QA of every IMRT patient treatment plan will also be provided. Prostate Brachytherapy Program Management:
The incumbent will participate in the management of the Prostate Brachytherapy program. This involves routine assays of sources for permanent implant, generation and review of treatment plans and post-treatment plans, and participation in the Quality Management program. External Beam Treatment Planning:
The incumbent will supervise treatment planning, the components of which are:
(a) supervision of patient contours and/or imaging studies (e.g., CT), (b) determination of dose at different points within the treatment volume, (c) selection of beams (together with their angles, weights, collimation, and filtering), (c) generation of isodose curves or other information and dosimetry, and (d) selection of wedges, bolus, and other devices necessary for proper treatment. The incumbent will also cross-check hand calculation and computer calculations made by others. Radiation Modifier Fabrication:
The incumbent will participate in (a) the preparation of radiation therap treatment devices such as custom field blocks, tissue compensators, and build-up boluses,and (b) the planning and the production of molds, casts and other immobilization devices. Patient Positioning Supervision:
The incumbent will establish and supervise accuracy in patientpositioning for treatment. Responsible for follow-up plans; treatment setups during the course ofpatient treatment; and proposing changes, depending on the initial plan of treatment, such as reduced field size, and changes needed for safety purposes, such as blocking of spinal cord or other sensitive structures and organs, etc. Chart/Plan Checks:
The incumbent will review the ongoing treatments given to each patient. Thisincludes (a) participation in clinical conferences with physicians to review current patients and consult on new patient treatments, and (b) certification of the accuracy of dosimetry and all pertinent entries made by technologist. Research Protocol Support:
The incumbent will assist in Radiation Therapy research by documenting dosimetry information for patients enrolled in the various Co-Operative Group clinical trials (RTOG, SWOG, CALGB, ECOG, etc.), Investigator initiated clinical trials, and/or industry sponsored clinical trials. ALL OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED (ON FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT) AND ANY OTHER DUTIES ASSIGNED Work Schedule:
Monday-Friday (as needed) Financial Disclosure Report:
Not required To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/22/2019. Basic Requirements:
Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) Education. Master's degree or higher in a physics, science, or engineering discipline recognized by an accredited college or university with at least 30 semester hours in medical physics, health physics, radiological science, physics, engineering, chemistry, or biology; or an equivalent foreign degree and coursework substantiated by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. Board Certification. Persons hired or reassigned to TMP positions in the VHA must be board certified in the field of therapeutic medical physics by an approved certifying body. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirements for continuing education. (1) Approved Certifying Bodies:
(a) The American Board of Radiology (ABR) in any of the following field titles:
1. Therapeutic Medical Physics; 2. Therapeutic Radiologic or Therapeutic Radiological Physics; 3. Radiologic Physics or Radiological Physics (b) The American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP) in the subfield of Radiation Oncology Physics; (c) The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM) in the subfield of Radiation Oncology Physics. English Language Proficiency. TMPs must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). a. Creditable Experience (1) Knowledge of Current Medical Physicist Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current professional TMP practice. The experience must be post-master's degree or above. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional TMP. (2) Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's or doctoral degree in medical physics, physics, or another relevant physical science or engineering discipline from an accredited training program and includes work as a professional TMP directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to TMP experience at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significantly larger scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. (3) Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional TMP is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a TMP employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2- time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service. (4) Clinical Training/Clinical Residency. TMPs go through a post-graduate clinical training program in therapeutic medical physics before they are eligible to work as a TMP. The post-graduate clinical training may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. b. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-14 Supervisory Therapeutic Medical Physicist (a) Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, completion of a minimum of 1 year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the next lower grade. (b) Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. A supervisory TMP provides professional, scientific, and clinical practice of therapeutic medical physics for external beam and brachytherapy treatment procedures from treatment simulation to treatment planning to the actual treatment delivery. The incumbent oversees the technical development and implementation of new radiotherapy techniques and modalities; oversees the activities of all other TMPs, dosimetrists, and other staff members assigned to the unit; directs the technical aspects of treatment procedures; and, performs duties qualifying them as a supervisor to include planning and directing work, developing performance plans, evaluating staff performance, and other administrative functions. (For full assignment, please see reference.) (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
1. Ability to oversee the technical development and implementation of new radiotherapy techniques and modalities. This includes knowledge of current standards of care, VA policies, trends and changes in delivery technology, as well as fair, principled, and decisive leadership practices. 2. Ability to optimize technical infrastructure and workflow for streamlined operations in the department of radiation oncology. This includes the knowledge and application of techniques such as Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). 3. Ability to assess the qualifications and abilities of current and prospective employees, to include staff performance evaluations and professional development. 4. Advanced knowledge of regulatory requirements, manufacturer's standards, and professional society guidelines for performing quality assurance of radiation therapy equipment to include accelerators, simulators, and high dose rate/low dose rate brachytherapy delivery systems. 5. Ability to use written and verbal communication with a strong command of technical writing considerations. 6. Ability to collaborate with the members of other disciplines and supervisors and to represent the profession both in and outside of VHA. This includes knowledge of the roles, contributions, and interrelationships with other health care specialties and supporting divisions. 7. Knowledge of instructional methods and documenting competencies. 8. Ability to manage and supervises employees. References:
VA Handbook 5005/83, Part II, Appendix G48, available in the local Human Resources Physical Requirements:
Light-heavy lifting (15-44 pounds and over; light-moderate carrying (Under 1544 pounds); Pulling, pushing, reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, walking/standing around 8 hours, kneeling, both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13 to 16 to Jaeger 1 to 4, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors, hearing (aid permitted). Environmental factors include dust, fumes, smoke or gases, radiant energy, slippery or uneven walking surfaces, working around machinery with moving parts, working around moving objects or vehicles, working closely with others, working alone, protracted or irregular hours of work and possible exposure to Infectious Diseases and/or Radioactive materials.
- Department:
0601 General Health Science - Salary Range:
$127,187 to $165,346 per year
Estimated Salary: $20 to $28 per hour based on qualifications.
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