Certification in Additional Medical Physics Specialties
By Geoffrey S. Ibbott, PhD, ABR Associate Executive Director for Medical Physics; Kalpana M. Kanal, PhD, ABR Trustee; Matthew B. Podgorsak, PhD, ABR Board of Trustees Chair; and Jennifer Stickel, PhD, ABR Trustee
2025;18(5):7
Medical physicists sometimes find it valuable to acquire certification in more than one specialty. In fact, as of late September, 273 medical physicists are certified in two specialties, and 30 are certified in all three; some of the latter group hold the legacy “Radiological Physics” certificate, now discontinued. Perhaps most common is to become dual certified in diagnostic medical physics (DMP) and nuclear medical physics (NMP), but combinations with therapeutic medical physics (TMP) also occur frequently.
There are essentially two pathways to acquiring an additional certificate:
- A medical physicist trainee can enroll in a “2+1” residency program to receive training in both DMP and NMP.
- A medical physicist who is certified in one specialty can acquire a year of training (fellowship training) in an additional specialty.
A resident following the “2+1” pathway will receive training in general imaging principles, diagnostic imaging physics, and nuclear medical physics. As is the case in three- or four-year residency programs, trainees are required to pass the MP Part 1 Qualifying Exam and complete the entire program before they are considered board eligible and able to register for the MP Part 2 Qualifying Exam in either specialty. Once certified in the first specialty, they will be board eligible in the second specialty. However, there is one exception: if the program is structured so that the first two years focus entirely on one of the specialties — for example, DMP — the resident may be considered board eligible in DMP and may take the Part 2 exam at the end of the second year while continuing into the third year of training. If successful on both the Part 2 and Part 3 (Oral Certifying) DMP exams, the resident will be certified in DMP. The resident will be board eligible in NMP once the third year of training is completed.
On the second pathway, a medical physicist who is certified in any specialty and is enrolled in the Continuing Certification program and meeting all CC requirements for their first medical physics specialty may qualify for a second certificate by acquiring the equivalent of one year of training in the new specialty. The training must be structured and supervised by an ABR certified physicist in that specialty. In addition, the training plan must be approved by the ABR prospectively. The year of training may be spread over multiple years, although extending it more than three years would require approval.
At the completion of training, the supervisor must attest that the trainee has acquired the equivalent of at least one year of clinical experience in the new specialty. The clinical experience must include the topics described by the ABR Standards of Clinical Training.
Upon ABR acceptance of the application, the diplomate will be admitted into the Part 2 and Part 3 exam processes. The diplomate is not required to repeat the Part 1 exam. The standard ABR exam fee schedule will apply. Once the diplomate is approved for Part 2 in the second specialty, they will be considered board eligible in this specialty and will be allowed six years to complete the certification process.
