Frequently Asked Questions: Physics

1. What does certification mean?

ABR certification means that you have demonstrated a reasonable mastery of the principles of your specialty area of medical physics, and have enough expertise and experience to function independently in the practice of physics in a clinical setting.

Certification is not a hallmark of excellence. It is simply documentation that at the time of the oral exam you had a firm grasp of the essentials of the discipline necessary for you to work with healthcare providers and patients.

2. Why is certification important?

Certification is an independent and objective assessment of the qualifications of the certified individual to assume patient-related responsibilities. Employers depend on certification to ensure that individuals can provide high-quality service and not place patients or an institution at risk. Certification is especially meaningful when the certification process itself has the approval of an oversight agency such as the American Board of Medical Specialties.

3. When will I get my results?

Written exam results are mailed six to eight weeks after the exams. Oral exam results are mailed out immediately after the exams.

4. My bachelor's degree is not in physics or engineering. Am I eligible for ABR certification?

It depends on what your major and minor were and the courses you have taken. If your degree is in chemistry, physical chemistry, or math with a physics minor, you are almost sure to be eligible. If your degree is in something else, your transcript will have to be evaluated to make sure you have an adequate background in physics. The first prerequisite to being a good medical physicist is to be a good physicist. Of course, you also have to meet the graduate degree requirements for certification. You can find out about these by reading the requirements for exams information for medical physics.

5. Can I receive credit for work experience while I was a graduate student in medical physics?

Yes, but you cannot receive credit for experience before you were officially enrolled as a student in a medical physics graduate program. Generally, the experience that can be credited during graduate training is limited to no more than one year if in a PhD program, and is evaluated carefully for each applicant. You can receive full credit for experience gained during a postgraduate internship or residency.

6. When am I eligible to apply for certification?

You can apply to take Part 1 of the computer-based examination anytime after you are officially enrolled in a CAMPEP-Accredited medical physics graduate program. You are eligible to take Part 2 of the computer-based exam only after you have received a graduate degree and satisfy the experience requirements. When you pass the computer-based examination, you are eligible to take the oral examination.

7. During the oral examination, am I at risk if I don't hit it off with a particular examiner?

No. We do everything we can to make the oral examination as objective as possible, including:

• Choosing oral examiners very carefully.
• Instructing new examiners on the exam and scoring processes.
• Making sure there are always experienced examiners on each oral panel.
• Having each of five oral examiners question the candidate in each of five question categories. By averaging the scores across five examiners in each category, a single examiner cannot fail a candidate if the other examiners believe the candidate did well.
• Discussing the performance of each candidate at a panel meeting at the end of the examination day, and possibly adjusting a score upward (never downward) if the candidate did better with some examiners than with others.
• Using several methods to evaluate the questioning techniques of examiners to ensure that candidates are treated in a friendly and fair manner.