Opening Statement

The qualifications for clinical practice are evolving for healthcare professionals. Historically, most physicians did not pursue residencies, and now it is a standard practice. When my father practiced as a pharmacist, they had Bachelor's degrees, now a Pharmacy Doctorate (PharmD) is the standard. In nursing, both research Ph.D. degrees and professional doctorate degrees (Doctorate of Nursing Practice or DNP) are becoming common. Other professions, like veterinary medicine and dentistry, have traditionally required professional doctoral degrees (DVM and DDS, respectively) to practice. If medical physicists wish to maintain their status as professionals in the changing healthcare environment, they should address these degree expectations and require a terminal doctoral degree, either a Ph.D. or a Doctor of Medical Physics (DMP) for professional clinical practice.

Part of the motivation for recommending this now is because residency training for ABR eligibility and QMP status is now required. Currently, ABR eligibility and QMP status require at least a M.S. and a 2‐yr residency. This opens M.S. graduates to the risk of not being accepted into a residency at the completion of their graduate degrees. While Ph.D. applicants face this too, they are typically stronger candidates because of their additional experience. The AAPM should be promoting the 4‐yr DMP degree, where the didactic and clinical training are bundled, like other professional degrees, resulting in ABR eligibility at the end of the program. The AAPM also recognizes the need to reduce the numbers of graduate students (∼250/yr) to better align with available residency slots (∼125/yr) and manpower needs (∼125/yr). Requiring a doctoral degree aligns those graduates (∼150/yr) to residency slots.

Further, the DMP is the most financially sustainable model for professional education. It is financially competitive with other professional degrees when initial salary is considered. For example, in the USA, the average cost of veterinary school is about $35 000/yr, dental school about $40 000, and medical school about $50 000. Most DMP programs are in the $25 000–$30 000 range. In 2014, starting salaries for veterinarians were ∼$70 000, for dentists ∼$80 000, for pharmacists (with PharmD) ∼$90 000, and for physicians ∼$190 000. Starting salaries for clinical medical physicists with doctoral degrees were ∼$120 000. For the investment made, DMP graduates are in a good financial situation compared to our healthcare professional peers. Further, the income for a 4‐yr DMP (debt of $100 000–$120 000), followed by 3 yr of professional practice income at $118 000/yr, results in a 7‐yr income of $254 000. During this same period, a Ph.D. student with an income of $25 000 for 5 yr and a 2‐yr residency at $50 000 has a total income of $225 000. At the end of 7 yr, the financial status of the DMP and Ph.D. is approximately the same!

To summarize, in order to maintain our professional stature, the AAPM should be moving to require a doctoral degree to become a QMP. This in no way implies that current holders of M.S. degrees are any less qualified than their Ph.D. peers; it simply acknowledges that the requirements for medical physics clinical practice are changing and that we need to move forward and be consistent with our healthcare professional peers. This also brings us in line with the requirements for clinical practice of other American Board of Medical Specialties professionals, where doctoral level credentials are generally required for certification.