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Pathways to dosimetry?
What are the pathways to becoming a Medical Dosimetrist?
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Joseph’s Answer
I work in radiation detection, which has some overlap with radiation dosimetry, and although I don't personally have much to do with the medical applications, understanding the biological effects of radiation is important within all nuclear areas, so the nuclear technology Masters I did shared quite a few classes with students on a medical radiation physics course; and I think some of those folk went on to careers in medical dosimetry and other similar medical radiation areas. They would have been studying for a postgraduate Masters in medical radiation physics after completing a undergraduate physics degree or at least a degree in another closely related STEM subject.
The start of one possible pathway (at least here in the UK) probably therefore looks something like:
1. While in school, focus your attention on STEM subjects and get good grades.
2. For undergraduate college/university, study for a degree in Physics or another closely related STEM subject
3. Go on to further study a Masters programme in medical physics or similar.
I'm not sure if that pathway is the most common way into that field, though, I feel like a lot of medical careers start off from studying biology or medicine courses instead - I'm not sure what those pathways look like - perhaps someone else can give some insight into the medical pathways?
Be aware that in medical fields, pathways can be restricted by regional legislation - so check if there are specific courses, certifications or training needed for medical dosimetrists in the part of the world you intend to practice in - looking at the requirements and prerequisites of any relevant certifications is a good way to shape and plan what pathways you can take.
Regardless of what exactly the pathway looks like, though, you'll need to gather much of the same skills and knowledge - a few things that jump immediately to mind that will be key in dosimetry:
1. A good proficiency in mathematics for manipulating equations and converting units. You'll need to be comfortable with at least basic calculus for understanding rates of change and integrated dose over time.
2. Understanding of the basic physics of interaction of radiation with matter, how energy is deposited, and the physics of radioactive decay - scattering, stopping power, buildup, etc
3. Knowledge of the biological effects of radiation and the quantities and factors involved in measuring it - understanding kerma, absorbed dose, equivalent dose, weighting factors, the LNT model, etc
4. Good understanding of and sensible attitude to radiation risk - working to ALARP/ALARA principles to minimise dose
5. Knowledge of techniques for evaluating both external and internal radiation sources - in my field, dosimetry tends to be a fairly simple case of monitoring external dose by TLDs/EPDs - but in medical applications where and how the dose is delivered can be quite different and have a big impact on what the dose is.
6. Good understanding of the medical uses of radiation - what doses are required for radiotherapy applications, what's necessary for nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures, etc
The start of one possible pathway (at least here in the UK) probably therefore looks something like:
1. While in school, focus your attention on STEM subjects and get good grades.
2. For undergraduate college/university, study for a degree in Physics or another closely related STEM subject
3. Go on to further study a Masters programme in medical physics or similar.
I'm not sure if that pathway is the most common way into that field, though, I feel like a lot of medical careers start off from studying biology or medicine courses instead - I'm not sure what those pathways look like - perhaps someone else can give some insight into the medical pathways?
Be aware that in medical fields, pathways can be restricted by regional legislation - so check if there are specific courses, certifications or training needed for medical dosimetrists in the part of the world you intend to practice in - looking at the requirements and prerequisites of any relevant certifications is a good way to shape and plan what pathways you can take.
Regardless of what exactly the pathway looks like, though, you'll need to gather much of the same skills and knowledge - a few things that jump immediately to mind that will be key in dosimetry:
1. A good proficiency in mathematics for manipulating equations and converting units. You'll need to be comfortable with at least basic calculus for understanding rates of change and integrated dose over time.
2. Understanding of the basic physics of interaction of radiation with matter, how energy is deposited, and the physics of radioactive decay - scattering, stopping power, buildup, etc
3. Knowledge of the biological effects of radiation and the quantities and factors involved in measuring it - understanding kerma, absorbed dose, equivalent dose, weighting factors, the LNT model, etc
4. Good understanding of and sensible attitude to radiation risk - working to ALARP/ALARA principles to minimise dose
5. Knowledge of techniques for evaluating both external and internal radiation sources - in my field, dosimetry tends to be a fairly simple case of monitoring external dose by TLDs/EPDs - but in medical applications where and how the dose is delivered can be quite different and have a big impact on what the dose is.
6. Good understanding of the medical uses of radiation - what doses are required for radiotherapy applications, what's necessary for nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures, etc