Medical Physics Residency Program

Application Information

Residents entering a medical physics residency educational program shall have a strong foundation in basic physics. This shall be demonstrated either by an undergraduate or graduate degree in physics, or by a degree in an engineering discipline or another of the physical sciences and with coursework that is the equivalent of a minor in physics (i.e., one that includes at least three upper-level undergraduate physics courses that would be required for a physics major).

In addition, residents must either:

1. Have graduated from a CAMPEP-accredited MS or PhD graduate program, or
2. Possess a PhD in physics or related discipline and have completed a CAMPEP-accredited certificate program, or
3. Possess a PhD in physics or related discipline and have satisfactorily completed courses equivalent to those in a CAMPEP-accredited certificate program, as determined by the CAMPEP Graduate Education Program Review Committee (GEPRC).

For the 2024-2025 recruitment period for a resident starting on July 1^st, 2025, the USC Medical Physics Residency Program will participate in the MedPhys Match. We will accept applications through MP-RAP organized by the AAPM Workgroup for Coordination of Medical Physics Residency Programs (WGCMPR). The application deadline is December 31, 2024.

After the application deadline, all eligible applications will be reviewed and ranked by the search committee. Each application will be reviewed by at least two committee members. The search committee will determine the candidates who are invited for virtual interviews. After the video interviews, members of the search committee will rank the candidates and select the top candidates for final interviews. Both virtual and on-site interview options will be available. During the final interviews, each invited applicant will be asked to give a presentation of their choice.

Salary and Benefits

• The medical physics resident salaries will be based on PGY level. For example, the 2023-2024 annual medical physics resident salaries are $70,025.34 for PGY1 and $71,873.37 for PGY2.
• Residents will be reimbursed up to $2,000 annually for education related expenses such as books, laptops and for travel to conferences or research presentations.
• The residents are eligible to receive benefits listed at USC Employee Gateway Website: https://employees.usc.edu/benefits-perks

Training Curriculum

The goal of the USC Medical Physics Residency Program is to provide high-quality clinical training in a top-tier academic setting to prepare residents for successful careers as qualified clinical medical physicists and future leaders in radiation oncology physics.

The 2-year training program will consist of 8 major rotations, each with additional safety and specialty sub-topics:

• Orientation & Machine QA
• CT Simulation & Imaging
• Treatment Planning
• SBRT/SRS
• Clinical Development Projects
• Brachytherapy
• Special Procedures
• Transition to Practice

Facilities & Resources

Clinical Training Sites

• USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
• Keck Medicine of USC – Arcadia
• Keck Medicine of USC – Buena Park
• Keck Medicine of USC – Santa Clarita
• Keck Medicine of USC – Newport Beach
  • Opening in 2025!
• Keck Medicine of USC – Pasadena
  • Opening in 2025!

Treatment and Simulation Machines

• Varian TrueBeam
• Varian TrueBeam STX
• Varian Halcyon
• Varian Trilogy
• RefleXion (coming in 2025!)
• Varian VariSource/Bravos HDR Afterloader
• Phillips Brilliance CT Big Bore
• Siemens CT Scanners
• Siemens PET CT
• Other ancillary technology: Exactrac, Calypso, RGSC and RPM, AlignRT, Identify, 6DOF Couch
• Software: Eclipse, Aria, Velocity, MIM, Radformation (ClearCheck, ClearCalc, AutoContour)
• QA: SNC SunCheck, ArcCheck, Profiler, PTW BeamScan, TotalQA

Faculty