What are the responsibilities and job description for the Therapeutic Medical Physicist (Advanced Level) position at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs?
Summary
Medical Physics is that branch of physics that is associated with the practice of medicine. The practice of Medical Physics means the use of principles and accepted protocols of physics to assure the correct quality, quantity, and placement of radiation during the performance of a radiological procedure.
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Duties
Current permanent VA employees and Federal employees from other federal agencies should apply under CBST-12667057-25-JA.
Therapeutic Medical Physicists (TMPs) work in Radiation Oncology 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. The advanced level TMP can perform the most complex of these tasks, and has the experience to commission and clinically implement novel technologies.
Specific tasks include but are not limited to the following:
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 580-02041-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Basic Requirements:
Grade Determinations: GS-14 Therapeutic Medical Physicist:
Preferred Experience:
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS14.
Physical Demands:
Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.
Work Environment:
Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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/.
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.
Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.
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.
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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.
Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center
2002 Holcombe Boulevard
Houston, TX 77030
US
Medical Physics is that branch of physics that is associated with the practice of medicine. The practice of Medical Physics means the use of principles and accepted protocols of physics to assure the correct quality, quantity, and placement of radiation during the performance of a radiological procedure.
Learn more about this agency
Help
Duties
Current permanent VA employees and Federal employees from other federal agencies should apply under CBST-12667057-25-JA.
Therapeutic Medical Physicists (TMPs) work in Radiation Oncology 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. The advanced level TMP can perform the most complex of these tasks, and has the experience to commission and clinically implement novel technologies.
Specific tasks include but are not limited to the following:
- 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.
- Safely operating all radiation planning and delivery devices.
- Implementing radiation therapy of outstanding technical difficulty and responsibility, providing knowledge-based solutions to resolving issues where no rule-based solutions exist.
- Planning and directing a specialized program encompassing all physics and clinical aspects of external beam and brachytherapy (if applicable) treatment procedures from treatment simulation to treatment planning to the actual treatment delivery.
- Providing technical oversight for the work of entry level TMPs, medical dosimetrists and radiation therapists.
- Overseeing radiation therapy treatment planning.
- Designing and approving treatment plans.
- Monitoring the accuracy of treatment data recorded in the patient's medical records.
- Providing consultation to the radiation oncologist regarding difficult treatment cases.
- Performing patient-specific treatment validation measurements.
- Developing 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.
- Developing, operating and fully documenting the medical physics quality assurance program and ensures regulatory compliance within the Radiation Safety Officer's radiation safety program.
- Safely utilizing and properly operating 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.
- The employee performs the following actions to assist in the implementation of new equipment and processes:
- Assesses radiation therapy equipment needs
- Performs acceptance testing and commissioning of new radiation therapy equipment
- Evaluates the adequacy of room shielding
- Performs radiation surveys
- Develops and implements treatment processes.
- The advanced level TMP will be a knowledgeable user and subject matter expert in the use of the Pinnacle, Eclipse and Cyberknife Precision treatment planning systems, Truebeam and Cyberknife delivery systems, and Sun Nuclear QA equipment and software.
- The advanced level TMP will also be an expert in the following special procedures: stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiation therapy, and surface-guided radiation therapy.
- Provide support for clinical research trials, including submission of radiation plans, DICOM datasets as needed.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 580-02041-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Help
Requirements
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 probationary period.
- Subject to background/security investigation.
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
- Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
- Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
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.- 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. Approved Certifying Bodies:
- The American Board of Radiology (ABR) in any of the following field titles:
- Therapeutic Medical Physics
- Therapeutic Radiologic or Therapeutic Radiological Physics
- Radiologic Physics or Radiological Physics
- The American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP) in the subfield of Radiation Oncology Physics.
- The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM) in the subfield of Radiation Oncology Physics.
- English Language Proficiency. Must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
Grade Determinations: GS-14 Therapeutic Medical Physicist:
- Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, completion of a minimum of 1 year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
- Assignments: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Employees at this level who are not supervisors are able to carry out assigned tasks independently in all areas of radiation therapy requiring TMP competencies which substantially exceed the full performance level and require advanced knowledge in all areas of radiation therapy. Regardless of the nature of the specific assignment, the work must be of sufficient scope and complexity to meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform at this grade level.
- Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
- Advanced expertise and experience in the safe and efficient use of all radiotherapy devices for external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy.
- Highly developed expertise with commissioning linear accelerators and treatment planning systems for complex clinical use, to include project management, performance testing, data acquisition, beam modeling, and validation testing.
- Advanced knowledge (treatment simulation, planning, dosimetry, and treatment methods) of the scientific, clinical, and technical applications of one or more specialized procedures including, but not limited to, high dose rate brachytherapy, low dose rate brachytherapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy, stereotactic radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, total body irradiation, advanced image-guided therapy, and adaptive therapy.
- Advanced expertise in acceptance testing, clinical commissioning, and (when applicable) calibration procedures for a variety of ancillary radiation oncology delivery, imaging, dosimetry, metrology, and computational systems
Preferred Experience:
- Knowledgeable user and subject matter expert in the use of the Pinnacle, Eclipse and Cyberknife Precision treatment planning systems,
- Experiences with Varian Truebeam and Accuray Cyberknife linear accelerators
- Experience with GE Discovery RT CT simulator
- Experience with Varian Respiratory Gating for Scanners [RGSC]
- Experience with Sun Nuclear QA equipment and software.
- Expert in the following special procedures: stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiation therapy, and surface-guided radiation therapy.
- Experience with providing support for clinical research trials, including submission of radiation plans, DICOM datasets as needed.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS14.
Physical Demands:
Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.
Work Environment:
Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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/.
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.
Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.
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.
Read more
- Help 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.
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.
Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center
2002 Holcombe Boulevard
Houston, TX 77030
US
