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 eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Duties

• This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS announcement. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available or until positions are filled. This position is eligible for recruitment/relocation incentives for highly qualified candidates. The Oklahoma City VA Medical Center, is currently recruiting for one Therapeutic Medical Physicist position in Oklahoma City, OK. Therapeutic Medical Physicists (TMP) work in the Radiation Oncology Department and have responsibilities that include protection of the patient and others from potentially harmful or excessive radiation; establishment of adequate protocols to ensure accurate patient dosimetry; the measurement and characterization of radiation used for radiotherapy, the performance and supervision of treatment planning; the determination of delivered dose; advancement of procedures necessary to ensure delivered dose integrity; the assessment and monitoring of image quality; development and direction of quality assurance programs; assistance to other health care professionals in optimizing the balance between the beneficial and deleterious effects of radiation; and compliance with applicable federal and state regulations. Radiation therapy treatments are performed by utilizing a linear accelerator for extremal beam therapy. Patients are planned or simulated using a radiation oncology treatment planning CT scanner. The facility practices a high level of technology to include IMRT, IGRT, SBRT, and SRS. The incumbent works in the most complex category of healthcare facility in the VA system. Other duties include, but are not limited to: a. The full performance level TMP is board certified and performs the clinical practice of therapeutic medical physics in its entirety with considerable discretion and independent judgment. b. The employee plans, delivers, verifies, and monitors quality assurance of radiotherapy at all levels of complexity. c. Specific tasks include: recommending an optimal modality and treatment technique for the patient; evaluating 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 operating all radiation planning and delivery devices. d. The TMP implements radiation therapy of outstanding technical difficulty and responsibility, providing knowledge-based solutions to resolving issues where no rule-based solutions exist. e. The employee plans and directs a specialized program encompassing all physics and clinical aspects of external beam treatment procedures from treatment simulation to treatment planning to the actual treatment delivery. f. The TMP provides technical oversight for the work of entry level TMPs, medical dosimetrists and radiation therapists and oversees Residents in accordance with VHA Handbook 1400.01. g. The incumbent oversees radiation therapy treatment planning; designs and approves 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; performs patient-specific treatment validation measurements; and develops medical physics policies and procedures for the delivery and quality assessment of advanced treatment modalities such as intensity modulated radiation therapy, and stereotactic body radiation therapy. h. The TMP develops, operates and fully documents the medical physics quality assurance program and ensures regulatory compliance within the Radiation Safety Officer's radiation safety program. i. The employee 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. j. The incumbent follows the VHA, AAPM, and all other applicable code of ethics policies in order to maintain the highest professionalism md patient care standards. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Eligible. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PD55856-0 and PD55857-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact V19RMNHRSBUOKC@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Requirements

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. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.