A new education structure was proposed in 1995. The qualification as a medical physicists was considered as a post-graduate university education under the Ministry of Education. In 2018 the legislature concerning the use of radiation was updated.
Theoretical education
- After a MSc degree in physics, medical physics, technical physics, biophysics or biomedical engineering, a responsible mentor will plan with the student the program for the further studies needed to obtain the qualification as a medical physicist. According to the Finnish act 834/2000, the student has to pass at least an examination for a Licentiate in Philosophy (Phil.Lic.).
Practical training
- The practical training after MSc degree takes five years.
- The training is carried out in centers approved by the Education Committee of Medical Physicists. Different training centers can have full rights (full five years of training), or partial rights (one or two years).
- The mentor is responsible that the student has sufficient training in all the main fields of medical physics: radiotherapy and oncology, nuclear medicine, clinical physiology, diagnostic radiology, and clinical neurophysiology.
- To work in a hospital setting in Finland, adequate command of the Finnish language is required. Up to a year of research work in the field of medical physics may be counted towards the 5-year requirement, and this one-year period could be completed in other languages as well.
Qualification as a Radiation safety specialist
- The student has to qualify as a Radiation safety specialist (in Finnish known as “STA”). This requires specific university studies and a minimum of two years working experience in the main fields that use radiation in healthcare: radiology, nuclear medicine and radiation therapy, with a minimum of 7 months for each field.
Final examination comprising the application of medical physics in hospital environment
The aim of the examination is to test the ability of the students to apply the theoretical knowledge to clinical practice. The permission to take part in the exam has to be requested from the Education Committee for Medical Physicists.
Page updated 28th of June, 2021