Your career as a medical physicist

Medical physicists oversee the safe use of radiation and other physical phenomena for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases.

What you will study

This degree covers a range of physical science topics with applications in medicine, such as radiotherapy and imaging.

A strong emphasis is placed on the protection of workers, patients and staff from harmful effects of radiation.

Develop specialist knowledge in quantitative measurement and the evaluation of safe radiation exposure for patients and staff.

Medical physicists are employed in the fields of radiotherapy, medical imaging, nuclear medicine and associated research and regulatory divisions of non-hospital institutions.

You’ll develop the skills to critically evaluate and optimise the performance of medical equipment and procedures and use your problem-solving abilities to analyse outputs, diagnose problems and provide quality assurance for patient treatments.

Using your initiative together with a high degree of independence, you’ll be instrumental in the evaluation and implementation of new technologies and in the translation of research into professional practice.

Medical physicists are important advisors to their team of professionals who often include oncologists, radiologists, therapists, technologists and biomedical engineers.

Career

Qualified medical physicists are highly sought after due to an increasing ageing population and the expansion of radiation oncology and medical imaging facilities and services.

RMIT graduates in the areas of medical physics, radiation and health physics are employed in the fields of:

radiotherapy
medical imaging
nuclear medicine
radiation protection
mining and prospecting
government regulatory agencies
associated research activities of non-hospital institutions.

Our graduates are employed throughout Australia, as well as the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Career outlook

Australia is experiencing an expansion of radiation oncology and medical imaging facilities and service, with the construction of new treatment centres, particularly in regional centres. The current national workforce demand has been forecast to grow significantly over the next two decades. Similar demand and growth is being experienced worldwide.

A postgraduate qualification in medical physics is mandatory to become a certified practising medical physicist in Australia.