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Requirements

ABR Trustee Statement Regarding Eligibility Requirements for the Part 1 Examination in Radiologic Physics

An important change in the eligibility requirements for taking Part 1 of the Radiologic Physics exam will be initiated in 2012. Refer to the policy statement that was approved by the ABR Board of Trustees October 13, 2007 and updated in March 2010.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

PART 1

The first exams you will take are computer-based exams, collectively called the Part 1 Examination. Part 1 consists of a General and a Clinical exam. When you apply for Part 1 examination, you must present evidence that you meet all of the following requirements:

• You hold a bachelor's degree in physics or applied physics from an approved institution (accredited by a regional accrediting body¹). Other physical science or engineering degrees may be considered if the appropriate fundamental physics courses have been completed equivalent to a minor in physics (including general physics with calculus and upper level courses in, for example, electricity and magnetism, atomic physics, nuclear physics, modern physics, quantum mechanics, or mechanics).
  
  AND
  
  
• You hold a master's or doctoral degree from an approved institution (accredited by a regional accrediting body¹) in medical physics, radiologic physics, physics, or other relevant physical science or engineering discipline². If the ABR determines that the degree or documented training is not directly relevant to the practice of medical physics, the ABR may request that the candidate document a minimum of three graduate courses in medical physics (these might include, for example, a course in general medical physics, a course in radiation dose measurements, and one from the chosen medical physics specialty).

You must supply:

• An original, official transcript of your undergraduate bachelor's degree and your graduate degree(s) that includes a listing of the courses taken in fulfillment of that degree and the date that the degree was conferred. In addition, if your degree is not from a CAMPEP-approved graduate or residency program, the American Board of Radiology requires documentation of formal coursework in the biological sciences.
  
  You must provide this documentation in the form of a formal transcript including, as a minimum, two courses, for example: a) one in biology or radiation biology, and b) one in anatomy and/or physiology. These courses should be from an accredited institution, be at least two hours per course, and have a formal grade. Auditing is not acceptable. Courses specifically designed for and focused on the needs of other disciplines such as, for example, "Anatomy for Sports Medicine" would not be acceptable.
  
  The deadline to submit documentation of completed coursework is December 31st of the year of initial registration.
  
  As an alternative to formal, transcript documented courses in biological sciences, an in-department course could be acceptable if it meets the following requirements:
  1. A course syllabus is provided that shows a topic outline, assignments and/or term papers, and a list of the examinations.
  2. Data are provided to show that the course is equivalent to a college level course of at least two credit hours.
  3. The instructor certifies that the student completed all assignments and examinations.
  4. The instructor provides a letter indicating the completion of the course and evaluation of the student´s knowledge.
  5. The instructor provides a letter indicating that the student passed the course, including a grade if appropriate.

PART 2

The next part of the examination process is again computer-based, and is called Part 2. You may elect to take 1, 2, or all 3 of the Part 2 exams. Each is specific to a particular area of qualification: diagnostic radiologic physics, therapeutic radiologic physics, or medical nuclear physics.

To qualify for any Part 2 exam:

• You must have passed the Radiologic Physics Part 1 examination (General and Clinical).
  
  AND
  
  
• You must hold a master's or doctorate degree from an approved institution (accredited by a regional accrediting body) in medical physics, radiologic physics, physics, or other relevant physical science or engineering discipline.
  
  AND
  
  
• You must have had at least three years (36 months) of full-time equivalent clinical experience in active association with an approved department, division, or practice in the area(s) in which certification is sought under the supervision³ of a certified medical physicist. This requirement must be satisfied by June 30 of the year in which the Part 2 exam is to be taken. This credit can be acquired through:

Activity	Possible Credit
Master's level medical physics program that includes a clinical component5	Up to six months
Doctoral level medical physics program that includes a clinical component5	Up to 12 months
Postgraduate clinical medical physics internship or residence5	Full time credit
Postdoctoral clinical/research program5 (Credit for clinical only, with preceptor's confirmation of hours spent in clinical duties)	Full time credit
Postgraduate employment in department, division, or practice providing clinical experience in the area(s) of radiologic physics in which you seek certification5	Full time credit
Your program may be arranged through a department other than radiology or radiation oncology, but the work you perform must be in the area(s) of radiologic physics in which you seek certification.

No credit is given for experience gained as an undergraduate, nor for extracurricular experience gained before you completed your graduate degree.

OR

• You have completed a CAMPEP accredited medical physics residency consisting of at least 24 months of clinical training under the supervision of a certified medical physicist at the time of taking the Part 2 examination.

In addition to the above:

• You must currently be working as a medical physicist in a clinical medical physics environment under the supervision³ of a certified medical physicist or a qualified medical physicist (the latter if training is conducted in a foreign country). Documentation of this current employment must be provided no later than December 31st of the year of registration for the Part 2 exam.
  
  In special circumstances upon formal request, volunteer positions as an alternative to traditional employment will be considered. See the policy on volunteer positions⁴.

You must include with your registration the names and contact information for two references:

• A physicist holding ABR or ABMP certification in radiologic physics in your specialty. Canadian physicists who seek certification by the ABR can use members and fellows of the Canadian College of Medical Physics as physicist references.
• A physician holding ABR certification in an appropriate specialty or subspecialty

The name and professional title of each reference must be clearly stated on the registration. All references must have personal knowledge of your experience, training, and ethical standing, and must certify that you are qualified to take the examination.

Footnotes for Part 1 and Part 2

¹International candidates holding only non-United States (U.S.) degrees must provide documentation that their foreign degrees are equivalent to those granted from an approved institution in the U.S. and that the granting institution is equivalent to a regionally accredited institution in the U.S. Please refer to the ABR-approved Credentials Evaluation Organizations for information on the process for providing this documentation through utilization of approved educational credential evaluation services.

²Note: If you are enrolled in a CAMPEP-accredited medical physics graduate program, Part 1 may be taken prior to receiving your graduate degree. To qualify, you must furnish documentation of current enrollment.

³Role of Supervisor: The certified medical physicist designated as the supervisor of clinical training must interact with the candidate (trainee) on a regular basis. Although same-location supervision is preferable, electronic means of review for candidates at a distance are acceptable to supplement face-to-face interactions. Through these interactions the supervisor must:

• Review the professional activity/output of the candidate
• Become thoroughly familiar with the professional quality of the candidate's work
• Provide input and guidance on professional activities
• Determine the candidate's capability of working independently in the designated field of medical physics
• Be willing to provide, if requested, a statement to the ABR attesting to the above and to certify, at the end of the training period, that the candidate is capable of working independently in the designated field of medical physics

⁴Volunteer Positions - Conditions for Acceptability

The following represents an alternative that may be granted in lieu of the requirement that the candidate must be employed in a clinical medical physics environment under the supervision of a certified medical physicist.

Upon request by application, the Radiologic Physics Credentials Evaluation Committee (RPCEC) will consider a volunteer position as an alternative to traditional employment. To be judged acceptable and equivalent to employment-based environments, volunteer positions must satisfy the following conditions:

1. The volunteer position is fully recognized, formally structured, and officially sanctioned within the participating department or institution.
2. The candidate practices in the volunteer position no less than half time. The equivalent experience will be prorated for part-time positions.
3. A written description is provided of the activities, responsibilities, and training opportunities of the volunteer position.
4. The interactive role of the certified medical physicist supervisor must be defined to provide:
   • Review of the professional activity/output of the candidate
   • Familiarity with the professional quality of the candidate's work
   • Input and guidance to the candidate on professional activities
   • Opportunity to evaluate the candidate's capability of working independently in the designated field of medical physics
     
     
   The certified medical physicist supervisor must submit a statement in writing to the ABR at the end of the training period attesting that the conditions in Points 1-4 above have been met and that the candidate is capable of working independently in the designated field of medical physics.

⁵Your practical training and/or supervised experience in medical physics must be under the supervision³ of a certified medical physicist. To be eligible for NRC recognized status (i.e. AMP or RSO), at least 24 months of the required 36 months of supervised clinical training must be under the direction of an ABR-certified radiologic physicist.

PART 3 - The Oral Exam

You must have passed Part 1 and Part 2 to take the oral examination. If you are taking the exam in more than one specialty area of radiologic physics, you must take a full oral exam for each area.

Overview: Examination Structure and Timelines

You will have three consecutive opportunities to appear for and pass any examination. Failure to accept an appointment, cancellation of an appointment, or failure to appear for a scheduled examination will be regarded as one of the three opportunities. If unsuccessful after three opportunities, you will be instructed to submit a new registration, plus the reregistration fee, before you can be admitted to further exams.

Part 1 consists of two exams: General and Clinical

• If you pass General and fail Clinical, you must retake Clinical only
• If you pass Clinical but fail General, you must retake all of Part 1 (General and Clinical)

Part 2 consists of three exams, covering the three areas of specialization. You may elect to take one, two, or all three of these examinations depending on your chosen career path. The three exams for Part 2 are:

• Therapeutic Radiologic Physics
• Diagnostic Radiologic Physics
• Medical Nuclear Physics

The first attempt for Part 2 must be taken within seven years after acceptance of your initial registration, or you must begin the process anew (i.e., reapply for Part 1, etc.).

Part 3 is an oral examination that will be taken in each of the three areas of specialization in which you are seeking certification (see Part 2 description immediately above). You must pass all of Part 1 and your chosen exam(s) in Part 2 to be eligible to go on to Part 3. You will have three consecutive opportunities to appear for and pass Part 3. Declining to accept an appointment, cancellation of an appointment, or failure to appear for a scheduled examination will be regarded as one of the three opportunities. If you are unsuccessful in passing Part 3 following the three opportunities, you must reapply for and pass Part 2 again before being eligible to retake Part 3.

Revocation of Certificate

Certificates issued by this Board shall be subject to revocation in the event that:

• the certificate was issued contrary to or in violation of any rule or regulation of the ABR; or
• the person to whom the certificate was issued was not eligible to receive it; or
• substantial misstatement or omission of a material fact to the ABR in an application or in any other information submitted to the ABR;
• violation of rules and regulations relating to the Written Qualifying, Oral and Maintenance of Certification Examinations and applications to take the examinations; or
• presenting or distributing, or aiding, or assisting another person(s) to present or distribute, a forged document or other written instrument purporting to have been issued by or under the authority of the ABR to evidence that a candidate, Diplomate, or any other person(s) is currently or was previously certified by the ABR, when that is not the case, or claiming orally or in writing, or assisting another person(s) to claim, that a candidate, Diplomate, or any other person(s) is currently or was previously certified by the ABR, when that is not the case; or
• engaging in any conduct that materially disrupts any examination or that could reasonably be interpreted as threatening or abusive toward any examinee, proctor or staff; or
• failure to cooperate with the ABR or its Hearing Committee at any point during the investigation of a matter arising under Article X of the ABR Bylaws

Before any such certificate shall be revoked, a notice shall be sent by registered or certified mail to the last known address of the holder of such certificate (as it appears on the records of the ABR). The notice will set forth the act, omission or conduct alleged or complained of, and give the holder of the certificate a reasonable opportunity to answer in writing thereto. Such certificate holder shall have not less than 30 days in which to reply thereto. The Board of Trustees may at its discretion make such further investigation as it deems necessary and proper.

The Board of Trustees of this Corporation shall have the sole power, jurisdiction, and right to determine and decide whether or not the evidence or information before it is sufficient to constitute one of the grounds for revocation of any certificate issued by the Board. The decision of the Board of Trustees in the premise shall be final.

The Board reserves the right to make changes in its fees, policies, and procedures at any time and cannot assume responsibility for giving advance notice thereof.