The US Oncology Network is developing a two-year Radiation Oncology Clinical Medical Physics Residency Program. The program is designed for candidates with masters or doctoral degrees, in medical physics, who are interested in careers as clinical medical physicists in radiation oncology. The program’s self-study was submitted to Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) in 2023 and we hope to achieve accreditation in time for 2024 applications, with an initial resident starting in 2025.
This program concentrates on the medical use of physics in the treatment of cancer patients. Residents will be involved in every aspect of day-to-day clinical duties, as well as acceptance and commissioning of new equipment, special procedures, and facility design. Residents will participate in chart rounds, tumor conferences, physics meetings, journal clubs, and assigned readings. There are 12 rotations in clinical physics. Residents will be examined orally for each rotation and comprehensively during their final oral exam, required for program completion. A detailed program description can be obtained here. Information on program statistics and residents can be found here.
Residency Environment
The US Oncology Network is a network of more than 2,600 providers with more than 600 locations. The US Oncology Network practices house multiple programs in IMRT, IGRT, SRS, SBRT, HDR and LDR brachytherapy, radiopharmaceuticals, the Texas Center for Proton Therapy, TBI, TSET, and state of the art imaging equipment. The residency takes full advantage of the system-wide equipment and clinical resources to provide residents a broad training experience. The residents work under the supervision of American Board of Radiology (ABR) board certified medical physics faculty. They also work closely with radiation oncologists, dosimetrists, nurses, and other radiation oncology personnel.
The primary residency site is The Chancellor Center for Oncology in Neburgh, IN. Residents will occupy more than 90% of their time at the primary site and nearby satellite facility, Evansville Cancer Center in Evansville, IN. Approximately 1-2 days per month will be spent at Lange-Fuhes Cencer Center in Jasper, IN about 60 miles away. Additionally, residents will spend approximately 2 months time at away locations, primarily at Network facilities in Texas to cover clinical services and equipment not available locally, mainly TBI, TSET, CyberKnife, and Gamma Knife.
Salary & Benefits
Current starting annual salary for Residents is $62,500. The US Oncology Network offers a comprehensive benefits package for residents, including:
- Plans: Medical (including Rx), Dental, Vision, Employee and Dependent Life Insurance, Short and Long-Term Disability, Physician Benefits (if applicable)
- Reimbursement & Health Savings Accounts: Health and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts, Health Savings Account (must be enrolled in Consumer's Choice plan to participate in the Health Savings Account)
- Work/Life Resources: Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Perks Program
- Supplemental Benefits: ex) Critical Illness Insurance, Legal Insurance, Auto/Home Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Program
- PTO: 16 days per year
- Paid Holidays: 6 per year; subject to change
- Floating Holidays: 4 per year; subject to change
- Expense Reimbursement: Travel expenses such as mileage, transportation, lodging, meal per diem, related to residency training at away sites, as well as approved educational meeting registrations, will be reimbursed.
- Membership Reimbursement: AAPM & Others
Employment with The US Oncology Network is at-will. This means both you and the Company may end the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without cause or advance notice so long as there is no violation of applicable federal, state, or local law. Nothing contained in this offer letter or on The Network’s website or any other policies of The US Oncology Network or statements made by a Network employee, whether oral or written, are intended to create a contract of employment for any specific period of time. The at-will employment relationship may only be modified by a written agreement signed by both you and an authorized representative of The Network. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Resident’s at-will employment shall not be terminated based on exam results, performance in the clinical setting, or other similar performance-related matters.
Restrictive Covenant
Some limited restrictive covenants will be required for residents’ employment by US Oncology Inc. Although not guaranteed, residents may have an opportunity to become employed at the primary site or other Network sites, after completion of the program. In the case of The Chancellor Center for Oncology, we believe it necessary to include a non-compete requiring workplaces be greater than 50 miles from the primary site, a minimum of two years after residency completion, for former residents seeking non-Network employment, at radiation oncology centers. Residents will also be restricted from retaining any business-related, non-educational property, including, but not limited to pricing, vendor agreements, contracts, strategy, and development plans. Since employment with US Oncology is at-will, other than the restrictive covenant noted above and in the offer letter, there will be no employment contract or amendments to the restrictive covenant, residents will be required to sign.
Application
Successful applicants to the US Oncology Clinical Medical Physics Residency Program must demonstrate acquisition of a strong foundation in basic physics. Entering Residents must have an undergraduate or graduate degree in Physics, or an engineering or other physical sciences degree with coursework equivalent to a minor in physics (i.e. at least three upper-level undergraduate physics courses required for a physics major). The program will only select candidates with postgraduate medical physics degrees (MS, PhD, or certificate) from CAMPEP accredited institutions. North American graduate programs in medical physics can be found here.
Applications are accepted from early October through December 15 each year. Submission of transcripts, CV, letters of reference, and application, will be done in accordance with AAPM, MP-RAP guidelines, via the MP-RAP website. The US Oncology residency program will participate in the Medical Physics Residency Match system.
Additional application materials may be requested, including residency/visa status (copies of I-90 green card or visa if applicable) and a copy of the applicant’s driver’s license.
