Summary 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 determination of delivered dose; the assessment and monitoring of image quality; development and direction of quality assurance programs. Responsibilities Functions/Duties: - 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. - The employee plans, delivers, verifies, and monitors quality assurance of radiotherapy at all levels of complexity. - 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. - The TMP implements radiation therapy of outstanding technical difficulty and responsibility, as exemplified by their role in providing knowledge-based solutions to resolving issues where no rule-based solutions exist. - The employee plans and directs a specialized program encompassing all physics and clinical aspects of external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy treatment procedures rom treatment simulation to treatment planning to the actual treatment delivery. - The TMP provides technical oversight for the work of developmental TMPs, medical dosimetrists and radiation therapists. - 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, stereotactic body radiation therapy and brachytherapy. - 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. - 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. - The full performance level TMP will be a knowledgeable user and subject matter expert in the use of the Eclipse treatment planning system, Varian delivery system, and QA equipment and software. Work Schedule: 8 Hour Shift Per Week - PT (Saturdays Only 9:00 am to 5:00 pm) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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. 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 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. Training-Service Agreement and Mobility Agreement required. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). English Language Proficiency: TMPs must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). Physical Requirements: Heavy Lifting (45 lbs and over); Heavy Carrying (45 lbs and over); Straight Pulling (up to 1hour); Pushing (1 - 2 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (up to 3 hours); Standing (up to 3 hours); Repeated bending (up to 1 hour); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16";Hearing (aid permitted) Qualifications Basic Requirements: Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3) 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 & 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). 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. 3) Failure to Obtain Board Certification: Uncertified TMPs must actively pursue obtaining board certification from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the uncertified TMP with the written requirements for board certification, the date by which board certification must be obtained, and the consequences for not becoming board certified by the deadline. Failure to obtain board certification by the prescribed date will result in removal from the GS-601 TMP series & may result in termination of employment. (4) Loss of Board Certification: Once board certified, TMPs must maintain a full, valid & unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of board certification may result in termination of employment. GRADE REQUIREMENTS Creditable Experience: (1) Knowledge of Current Medical Physicist Practices: To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, & 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.. (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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-13 Therapeutic Medical Physicist (Full Performance Level) (a) 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. (b) Assignments: The full performance level TMP is board certified & performs the clinical practice in its entirety with considerable discretion & independent judgment. Specific tasks including: recommending an optimal modality and treatment technique; evaluating quality, safety, and accuracy of treatments planned and delivered, ensuring the radiation dose is carried out correctly and completely; safely operating all planning and delivery devices. Implements radiation therapy of outstanding technical difficulty and responsibility, providing knowledge-based solutions to resolving issues where no rule-based solutions exist. Plans & directs a specialized program encompassing all aspects of external beam and brachytherapy treatment procedures from treatment simulation to treatment planning to the actual treatment delivery. Provides technical oversight for the work of entry level TMPs, monitors the accuracy of data recorded in the patient's medical records; provides consultation to the oncologist; performs patient-specific treatment measurements; develops medical physics policies & procedures for the delivery & quality assessment of advanced treatment modalities. The TMP develops, operates and documents the medical physics quality assurance program and ensures compliance within the Radiation Safety safety program. Safely utilizes and properly operates all radiation oncology equipment and is qualified and responsible for educating radiation oncology team members in safety issues relate to radiotherapy planning and delivery. (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge regarding the safe & efficient use of all radiotherapy devices for external beam radiotherapy. 2. The ability to evaluate & ensure correct & safe operation of radiotherapy equipment through complex problem diagnosis & scheduled quality assurance. 3. Knowledge of the scientific, clinical, & technical applications of high dose rate & low dose rate brachytherapy treatment simulation, planning, dosimetry, & treatment methods. 4. in the professional, scientific, & technical aspects of shielding methods for external beam radiation delivery systems, radiation survey methods, developing procedures, setting action levels, delivering radiation safety training, developing & documenting competencies, & reporting. This includes an in-depth knowledge of regulatory requirements & guidelines for radiation shielding & personnel protection. 5. Ability to exercise independent professional judgment in the performance & evaluation of calibration, acceptance testing, & clinical commissioning procedures for all @types of external beam photon & 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, & stereotactic body radiation therapy planning. This includes specialized knowledge of clinical process steps & resource requirements for planning & delivery of radiation oncology treatments. 7. Ability to process information from multi-modality imaging datasets for treatment planning, treatment verification, & radiotherapy response assessment. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Education 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. 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. 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 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.
