Finnish Association of Medical Physicists
Finnish Association of Medical Physicists is the labor union of medical physicists. The association is involved in professional, educational and social matters related to work, employment and the careers of its members at national and international levels.
History
The association has been operating since 1986, but its predecessor, the Finnish mathematician and physicist League (SMFL) Hospital Physicist Division started to operate in 1965.
Finnish Association of Medical Physicists is a affiliated association of the professional and labour market organisation to Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland – TEK.
Membership
The membership is applied by sending a free-form application. The application shall include the following information:
- Contact details (telephone, home address, e-mail)
- Information on job (hospital, clinic, hospital address)
- A brief report on employment history as a medical physicist
- The date associated with TEK’s membership
- A recommendation by one member of the Finnish Association of Medical Physicists
Applications should be sent to the secretary of the Board sihteeri(at)sairaalafyysikot.fi.
Specialization in Medical Physics in Finland
Specialization in medical physics is one of the longest in Finland. It includes a theoretical part and practical training. Basic education required is a university degree (MSc) in physics, engineering or equivalent.
To get a degree as Qualified Medical Physicist, there is an national approval program approved by the Education Committee of Medical Physicists nominated by the Ministry Education of Finland. The education takes place in a university (2 – 4 years) and in a hospital (5 years). It is possible to apply for the practicaltraining as soon as you have passed a Master’s degree in the appropriate field (physics, biophysics, medical technology).
This is how it started
The qualified medical physicist (QMP) education was established in Finland during the 1960s.
The education scheme was analogous to the specialization programs of the physicians. It included a graduate degree (MSc) in physics, an examination in radiation safety, administrative education, professional courses, five years of practical training in five areas of medical physics: radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, clinical physiology, diagnostic radiology and clinical neurophysiology, and finally a QMP examination with extensive theoretical content. The qualifications were granted by a special board of medical physicists.
The education of QMPs has very long traditions in Finland, and the content is not limited only for ionizing radiation in medical physics.
Description of the present system
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.
Medical Physicists in Finland
The development of number of medical physicists in the hospitals and the number of inhabitants in Finland at 10-20 year intervals (the first medical physicist position was established in 1937) are shown in the Table below.
| Year | 1950 | 1970 | 1990 | 2010 | 2020 |
| Number of physicists | 2 | 21 | 66 | 99 | 140 |
| Inhabitants (millions) | 3.9 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.5 |
| Physicists/100 000 inh | 0.05 | 0.46 | 1.36 | 1.87 | 2.55 |
In Finland the Qualified Medical Physicists work also in fields, where ionizing radiation is not used, and all Qualified Medical Physicists do not work as Medical Physics Experts. This is different from many other European countries.
| Radiation Therapy | 39 % |
| Nucl. Med. And Clin Physiol. | 25 % |
| Radiology | 23 % |
| Clinical Neurophysiology | 14 % |
International organizations for medical physicists
Finnish Association of Medical Physicists is a member of several international associations for medical physics:
