Therapeutic Medical Physicist

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

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This is an Open Continuous Announcement that will be used for filling GS 12 - GS 13 TMP positions at John D. Dingell VA Medical Center. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. We utilize Open Continuous announcements to accept applications in anticipation of vacancies. Extended announcements provide us a readily available source of applicants when vacancies do occur and are approved. If a vacancy does not occur for the location and grade for which you are qualified and apply, no further notification concerning the announcement will be provided.

Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Incumbent works under the direction of the Section Chief and Chief Physicist.
• Manages the development and implementation of advanced techniques and special initiatives in radiotherapy.
• Collaborates closely with radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, therapists, and other team members to fully support day to day clinical operations.
• Board certified or board eligible and performs the depth and breadth of clinical practice of therapeutic medical physics.
• The board eligible, entry-level incumbent must obtain board certification within 2 years of appointment. Failure to obtain a board certification in the allotted time will result in removal from the position, and possible termination of employment with VHA.
• Plans, delivers, verifies, and monitors quality assurance of radiotherapy at all levels of complexity.
• Recommends optimal modality and treatment technique for the patient; evaluates the quality, safety, and accuracy of radiation treatments planned and delivered to patients, thus ensuring that radiation dose is carried out correctly and completely; and safely operates all radiation planning and delivery devices.
• Implements radiation therapy of outstanding technical difficulty and responsibility, providing knowledge-based solutions where no rule-based solutions exist.
• Plans and directs a specialized program encompassing all physics and clinical aspects of external beam and brachytherapy treatment procedures from treatment simulation to treatment planning to actual treatment delivery.
• Designs radiation therapy treatment plans, monitors the accuracy of treatment data recorded in the patient's medical records, provides consultation to the radiation oncologist regarding difficult treatment cases, and performs patient specific treatment validation measurements.
• Participates in the development medical physics policies and procedures for the delivery and quality assessment of advanced treatment modalities such as intensity modulated radiation therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy and brachytherapy.
• Ensures regulatory compliance within the Radiation Safety Officer's radiation safety program.
• Safely utilizes and properly operates all radiation oncology equipment, and is therefore qualified and responsible for educating radiation oncology team members including radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, and dosimetrists in safety issues that relate to radiotherapy planning and delivery.
• Completes additional departmental tasks as assigned.

Work Schedule : Monday- Friday; 08:00am-04:30pm. Schedule may be subject to change based on the needs of the facility.

Telework : Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # :937790

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [click to reveal email address] [email protected] , for questions/assistance. Learn more

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a trial period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements :

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: TMPs must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• Education: Master's degree or higher in a physics, science, or engineering discipline recognized by an accredited college or university with at least 30 semester hours in medical physics, health physics, radiological science, physics, engineering, chemistry, or biology; or an equivalent foreign degree and coursework substantiated by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.
• Board Certification: Persons hired or reassigned to TMP positions in the VHA must be board certified in the field of therapeutic medical physics by an approved certifying body. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirements for continuing education.

(1)Approved Certifying Bodies

(a)The American Board of Radiology (ABR) in any of the following field titles:

1.Therapeutic Medical Physics

2.Therapeutic Radiologic or Therapeutic Radiological Physics

3.Radiologic Physics or Radiological Physics

(b)The American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP) in the subfield of Radiation Oncology Physics.

(c)The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM) in the subfield of Radiation Oncology Physics.

(2) Exception for Non-Board Certified, Entry Level Candidates . Non-board certified TMPs designated by the certifying agency (e.g., American Board of Radiology) as "board eligible", who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate TMP under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of certification for a period not to exceed 2 years for a TMP that provides care under the supervision of a board certified TMP at or above the full performance level. This exception only applies at the GS-12 entry level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be board certified. Temporary appointments of non-board certified TMPs may not be extended beyond 2 years, or converted to a new temporary appointment.

Grade Determinations :

GS-12 Therapeutic Medical Physicist ( Entry Level)

Experience, Education, and Board Certification. None beyond the basic requirements. (NOTE: See exception to certification requirement in subparagraph above.)

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities . In addition to meeting the basic requirements, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Knowledge of the scientific and technical principles and properties of radiotherapy devices for external beam radiotherapy. This includes specialized knowledge of the clinical applications of these devices.
2. Ability to exercise independent judgment in the calibration and commissioning of external beam photon and electron beam delivery devices for clinical use. This includes specialized knowledge of the acceptance testing and commissioning of radiation therapy treatment simulation equipment such as Computerized Tomography (CT) simulators.
3. Scientific and technical knowledge of electronic data handling techniques and software.
4. Ability to exercise independent judgment in the safe operation of radiotherapy equipment and quality assurance. This includes specialized knowledge of sources of uncertainty associated with treatment delivery and how to minimize the deviation between planned and delivered treatments; configuration of test equipment and associated software; and expected equipment performance for external beam radiotherapy treatment, brachytherapy, and simulation equipment.
5. Detailed scientific and technical knowledge of radiotherapy treatment planning principles, treatment planning algorithms, and treatment delivery.
6. Knowledge of scientific and technical aspects of brachytherapy delivery systems and radiation sources.
7. Ability to exercise independent judgment in radiation shielding techniques for external beam delivery systems. This includes specialized knowledge of detection and survey methods for external beam delivery systems. This also includes knowledge of regulatory requirements and guidelines for radiation shielding and protection.
8. Knowledge of multi-modality medical imaging to include a detailed scientific and technical understanding of megavoltage photon beam imaging, CT, radiographic imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission computed tomography.

GS-13 Therapeutic Medical Physicist (Full Performance Level)

Experience . In addition to the basic requirements, completion of a minimum of 1 year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities . In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Knowledge regarding the safe and efficient use of all radiotherapy devices for external beam radiotherapy.
2. The ability to evaluate and ensure correct and safe operation of radiotherapy equipment through complex problem diagnosis and scheduled quality assurance.
3. Knowledge of the scientific, clinical, and technical applications of high dose rate and low dose rate brachytherapy treatment simulation, planning, dosimetry, and treatment methods.
4. Expertise in the professional, scientific, and technical aspects of shielding methods for external beam radiation delivery systems, radiation survey methods, developing procedures, setting action levels, delivering radiation safety training, developing and documenting competencies, and reporting. This includes an in-depth knowledge of regulatory requirements and guidelines for radiation shielding and personnel protection.
5. Ability to exercise independent professional judgment in the performance and evaluation of calibration, acceptance testing, and clinical commissioning procedures for all types of external beam photon and electron beam delivery systems. Skilled in the evaluation of acceptance testing and commissioning results of CT simulators.
6. Technical skills in 3-D treatment planning, intensity modulated radiation therapy treatment planning, and stereotactic body radiation therapy planning. This includes specialized knowledge of clinical process steps and resource requirements for planning and delivery of radiation oncology treatments.
7. Ability to process information from multi-modality imaging datasets for treatment planning, treatment verification, and radiotherapy response assessment.

Preferred Experience: Board Certification preferred but Eligible Recent Graduates will also be considered.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit .

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13 . The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-12 to GS-13 .

Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 lbs); Moderate carrying (15-44 lbs); straight pulling (1 hour); pushing (1 hour); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking (8-12 hours); standing (8-12 hours); ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaegar 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; both eyes required; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; hearing (aid permitted). Transferring patients and objects may be required. Don protective clothing in isolation situation or operative / invasive procedures. May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium.

Continued under Education below...

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Transcripts must be official or unofficial college transcripts.

A copy of your certificate/degree or screenshot of your current classes are not a replacement of your transcript and they will not be used in the qualifying process. Your transcript must include your name and the name and full address of the institution.

If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume .

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: . If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: .

Creditable Experience

1. Knowledge of Current Medical Physicist Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current professional TMP practice. The experience must be post-master's degree or above. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non- paid employment as a professional TMP.
2. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's or doctoral degree in medical physics, physics, or another relevant physical science or engineering discipline from an accredited training program and includes work as a professional TMP directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to TMP experience at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significantly larger scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
3. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional TMP is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a TMP employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.
4. Clinical Training/Clinical Residency. TMPs go through a post-graduate clinical training program in therapeutic medical physics before they are eligible to work as a TMP. The post-graduate clinical training may be substituted for creditable experience on a year- for-year basis.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grandfathering Provision . All persons employed in VHA as a TMP on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualifications requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following apply.

1. Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may 2 not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
2. TMPs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
3. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or certification that meet all the basic requirements of the qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
4. TMPs who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as a TMP.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.