Radiation Oncology Medical Physics Assistant

Overview

As a patient-focused organization, University of Utah Health exists to enhance the health and well-being of people through patient care, research and education. Success in this mission requires a culture of collaboration, excellence, leadership, and respect. University of Utah Health seeks staff that are committed to the values of compassion, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, integrity, quality and trust that are integral to our mission. EO/AA

Performs duties to assist the Medical Physicist in performing external beam machine quality assurance (QA) and brachytherapy procedures and QA, patient specific QA, protocol management and implementation of new procedures.

Corporate Overview: The University of Utah is a Level 1 Trauma Center and is nationally ranked and recognized for our academic research, quality standards and overall patient experience. Our five hospitals and eleven clinics provide excellence in our comprehensive services, medical advancement, and overall patient outcomes.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

External beam machine QA

• Assists/performs weekly, monthly and annual QA for linear accelerators (linac) and CT, participates in evaluation of the results and reports to the physicists with any concerns.
• May assist in performing proton morning QA.
• Ensures that machine QA is performed in a timely manner.

Brachytherapy procedures and QA

• Assists the brachytherapy physicist team to ensure safe and smooth treatment delivery with Prostate Seed Implants, Eye Plaque Implants and High Dose Rate Brachytherapy.
• Coordinates PSI seed ordering process, including source delivering and on-site seed QA, inventory, and radiation safety documentation/communication with the campus health physicists.
• Communicates with the Qualified Medical Physicist (QMP) and the rest of the team including the physician and nurse when potential issues, such as seed order/delivery schedule and QA discrepancy, arise.
• Assists PSI procedures in the operating room. Under the supervision of the QMP, ensures the sources are all accounted for before and after the PSI procedure.

Oversight and Maintenance of QA Equipment

• Maintains QA equipment inventory, and ensures that appropriate calibration is performed for each QA device.
• Facilitates damaged and/or defective QA equipment replacement and repair process.
• Assists in the maintenance of clinical treatment equipment including quality control (QC) and storage process. For example, stereotactic radiosurgery frame and hardware cleaning, inventory/storage, and QC.
• Participates in intradepartmental educational sessions and meetings that pertain to hardware QA/QC.

Patient Specific QA

• Performs patient specific QA for IMRT photon plans.
• Performs initial troubleshooting when QA fails. Responsible for bringing potential issue/s to the physicist''s attention for additional analysis and corrective action.
• Assists or performs independent proton specific patient QA.

Protocol Management

• Prepares required protocol documents for submission.
• Ensures that credentialing requirements have been met for clinical protocols.
• Attends meetings, refines workflows, maintains and files credentialing letters and responds to other requests from the Clinical Trials Office (CTO).

Implementation of New Procedures

• Assists the Medical Physicist in implementation of new processes or procedures, programs or workflow in the clinic such as establishment of a new QA platform, creation of source calibration for a new brachytherapy program etc.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Demonstrated attention to detail and strong analytical skills.
• Ability to perform detailed measurements using modern, sensitive instrumentation.
• Demonstrates ability to work independently as well as in a team environment.
• Demonstrates ability to provide clear and professional written/verbal communication.
• Demonstrates accountability for work, taking ownership for quality and timeliness of work.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor''s or higher degree (physical sciences preferred) from an accredited college or university and/or certification as a Radiation Therapist, or the equivalency.

Qualifications (Preferred)

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

Employee must be able to meet the following requirements with or without an accommodation.

• This position is moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, moving from one work site to another. This position may exert up to 20 pounds and may lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.

Physical Requirements

Carrying, Climbing, Color Determination, Crawling, Far Vision, Lifting, Listening, Manual Dexterity, Near Vision, Pulling and/or Pushing, Reaching, Sitting, Speaking, Standing, Stooping and Crouching, Tasting or Smelling, Walking