This position is located in the Radiation and Oncology service with James H. Quillen VA within VISN 9 Mid-South Healthcare Network. The Advanced Therapeutic Medical Physics (ATMP) is board certified and performs the clinical practice of TMP in its entirety with considerable discretion and independent judgment. The ATMPs can carry out assigned simple and highly complex tasks independently in all areas of radiation therapy.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: GS-14 The 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. The TMP implements radiation therapy of outstanding technical difficulty and responsibility, 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 and brachytherapy treatment procedures from treatment simulation to treatment planning to the actual treatment delivery. The TMP provides technical oversight for the work of entry level 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. Work Schedule: 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 60402-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. 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 and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirements for continuing education. 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. 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)(2)(B). 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. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. TMPs must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: GS-14 Therapeutic Medical Physicist (Advanced 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. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Advanced expertise and experience in the safe and efficient use of all radiotherapy devices for external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy. 2. Highly developed expertise with commissioning linear accelerators and treatment planning systems for complex clinical use, to include project management, performance testing, data acquisition, beam modeling, and validation testing. 3. Advanced knowledge (treatment simulation, planning, dosimetry, and treatment methods) of the scientific, clinical, and technical applications of one or more specialized procedures including, but not limited to, high dose rate brachytherapy, low dose rate brachytherapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy, stereotactic radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, total body irradiation, advanced image-guided therapy, and adaptive therapy. 4. Advanced expertise in acceptance testing, clinical commissioning, and (when applicable) calibration procedures for a variety of ancillary radiation oncology delivery, imaging, dosimetry, metrology, and computational systems. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/83 PART II APPENDIX G48 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although physical effort will be required. Some lifting, bending and moving of videoconferencing or technical equipment for installation and troubleshooting is required. Occasionally climbs ladders to adjust overhead equipment and lifts or moves objects weighing up to forty pounds; occasionally lifts or moves heavier items with assistance from others.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address James H Quillen VA Medical Center Corner of Lamont Street and Veterans Way Mountain Home, TN 37684 US
• Name: Kora Placencio
• Phone: 254-413-9280
• Email: [email protected]