Develop specialist knowledge in quantitative measurement and the evaluation of safe radiation exposure for patients and staff.

Medical physicists are employed in the fields of radiotherapy, medical imaging, nuclear medicine and associated research and regulatory divisions of non-hospital institutions.

You’ll develop the skills to critically evaluate and optimise the performance of medical equipment and procedures and use your problem-solving abilities to analyse outputs, diagnose problems and provide quality assurance for patient treatments.

Using your initiative together with a high degree of independence, you’ll be instrumental in the evaluation and implementation of new technologies and in the translation of research into professional practice.

Medical physicists are important advisors to their team of professionals who often include oncologists, radiologists, therapists, technologists and biomedical engineers.

Career Outcomes

Qualified medical physicists are highly sought after due to an increasing ageing population and the expansion of radiation oncology and medical imaging facilities and services.

RMIT graduates in the areas of medical physics, radiation and health physics are employed in the fields of:

• radiotherapy
• medical imaging
• nuclear medicine
• radiation protection
• mining and prospecting
• government regulatory agencies
• associated research activities of non-hospital institutions.

Our graduates are employed throughout Australia, as well as the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Career outlook

Australia is experiencing an expansion of radiation oncology and medical imaging facilities and service, with the construction of new treatment centres, particularly in regional centres. The current national workforce demand has been forecast to grow significantly over the next two decades. Similar demand and growth is being experienced worldwide.

A postgraduate qualification in medical physics is mandatory to become a certified practising medical physicist in Australia.

Professional recognition and accreditation

This program is accredited by the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM) who oversee a professional accreditation program that recognises and certifies experienced medical physicists.

To be certified as a professional medical physicist in Australia, you must complete the requirements stipulated by the ACPSEM. These include:

• undergraduate Bachelor of Physics or Bachelor of Science with physics major and strong maths subjects, or ACPSEM approved equivalents
• an ACPSEM accredited postgraduate degree in medical physics (usually masters or higher), or ACPSEM approved equivalents. You must also meet the bachelor degree requirements (above)
• completion of the ACPSEM Training, Education and Accreditation Program (TEAP) while employed as a Medical Physics Registrar at an accredited clinical centre