WAC 246-240-072   Training for an authorized medical physicist.  Except as provided in WAC 246-240-078, the licensee shall require the authorized medical physicist to be an individual who:

     (1) Is certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the department, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or an agreement state and who meets the requirements in subsections (2)(b) and (3) of this section. (Specialty boards whose certification process has been recognized by the commission or an agreement state will be posted on the NRC's web page at http://www.nrc.gov.) To be recognized, a specialty board shall require all candidates for certification to:

     (a) Hold a master's or doctor's degree in physics, medical physics, other physical science, engineering, or applied mathematics from an accredited college or university;

     (b) Have two years of full-time practical training and/or supervised experience in medical physics:

     (i) Under the supervision of a medical physicist who is certified in medical physics by a specialty board recognized by the commission or an agreement state; or

     (ii) In clinical radiation facilities providing high energy, external beam therapy (photons and electrons with energies greater than or equal to one million electron volts) and brachytherapy services under the direction of physicians who meet the requirements for authorized users in WAC 246-240-278 or 246-240-399;

     (c) Pass an examination, administered by diplomates of the specialty board, which assesses knowledge and competence in clinical radiation therapy, radiation safety, calibration, quality assurance, and treatment planning for external beam therapy, brachytherapy, and stereotactic radiosurgery; or

     (2)(a) Holds a master's or doctor's degree in physics, medical physics, other physical science, engineering, or applied mathematics from an accredited college or university; and has completed one year of full-time training in medical physics and an additional year of full-time work experience under the supervision of an individual who meets the requirements for an authorized medical physicist for the type(s) of use modalities for which the individual is seeking authorization. This training and work experience must be conducted in clinical radiation facilities that provide high energy, external beam therapy and brachytherapy services and must include:

     (i) Performing sealed source leak tests and inventories;

     (ii) Performing decay corrections;

     (iii) Performing full calibration and periodic spot checks of external beam treatment units, stereotactic radiosurgery units, and remote afterloading units as applicable; and

     (iv) Conducting radiation surveys around external beam treatment units, stereotactic radiosurgery units, and remote afterloading units as applicable; and

     (b) Has obtained written certification that the individual has satisfactorily completed the requirements in subsections (1)(a) and (b) and (3), or (2)(a) and (3) of this section, and has achieved a level of competency sufficient to function independently as an authorized medical physicist for each type of therapeutic medical unit for which the individual is requesting authorized medical physicist status. The written certification must be signed by a preceptor authorized medical physicist who meets the requirements in WAC 246-240-072 or equivalent U.S. NRC or agreement state requirements for an authorized medical physicist for each type of therapeutic medical unit for which the individual is requesting authorized medical physicist status; and

     (3) Has training for the type(s) of use in the modalities for which authorization is sought that includes hands-on device operation, safety procedures, clinical use, and the operation of a treatment planning system. This training requirement may be satisfied by satisfactorily completing either a training program provided by the vendor or by training supervised by an authorized medical physicist authorized for the type(s) of use for which the individual is seeking authorization.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 70.98.050. 07-14-131, § 246-240-072, filed 7/3/07, effective 8/3/07; 06-05-019, § 246-240-072, filed 2/6/06, effective 3/9/06.]