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- Study and develop new medical technologies to help improve diagnosis, treatment and care
- Use scientific knowledge and techniques to make a real impact on people's lives
- Progression routes to senior roles within the NHS and private medicine
As a medical physicist, you'll combine science with medicine in a field known as healthcare science or clinical science.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Developing and testing new systems to help investigate patients' conditions
- Monitoring equipment to make sure it's accurate, safe and well-maintained
- Training hospital staff
- Planning treatment programmes and explaining procedures to patients
- Carrying out procedures and analysing test results
- Using computer simulations and mathematical modelling in research and development work
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You'll work closely with medical professionals like doctors, radiographers and medical physics technicians.
You could work in a laboratory, or in an NHS private hospital.
You'll need
For this role, you'll need knowledge of maths and biology, thinking and reasoning skills, thoroughness and attention to detail, excellent verbal communication skills, good initiative, analytical thinking skills, and the ability to work well with others.
To become a medical physicist, you'll need a first or upper second class honours degree that includes a high level of physics, such as applied physics, physics and mathematics, or astrophysics. Then you would complete the 3-year NHS Scientist Training Programme. You could also complete a postgraduate master's qualification in a relevant subject like theoretical physics.
If you don't have a degree level qualification, you can apply for the NHS Practitioner Training Programme (PTP). You would study for a degree in healthcare science, which includes work-based training, then continue to specialise in medical physics.
You can also get into this role through a degree apprenticeship as a healthcare science practitioner.
CAREER PROSPECTS
You could go on to lead a department, work in higher education, research, or in the medical equipment manufacturing industry.