Requirements of the Medical Physicist

(A) Medical Physicist Initial Qualifications. A Medical Physicist is qualified to be employed in a mammography facility if he or she: (1) Is currently registered with the Department as a Medical Physicist; and (2) Is certified by one of the following: 1. the American Board of Radiology in Diagnostic Radiological Physics, Diagnostic Medical Physics, Imaging Physics, or Radiological Physics; 2. the American Board of Medical Physics in Diagnostic Radiological Physics, Diagnostic Medical Physics, Imaging Physics, or Radiological Physics; or 3. another certifying body in an equivalent specialty area acceptable to the Department; and (3) Holds a master’s degree or higher in a physical science with no less than 20 semester hours in physics. Appropriate fields include those physical sciences accepted by the American College of Radiology, American Board of Radiology, and the American Board of Medical Physics; and (4) Has 20 contact hours of specialized training in conducting mammography facility surveys; and Has conducted surveys of at least one mammography facility and at least ten mammography units under the direct supervision of a qualified medical physicist. (6) If the Medical Physicist was qualified under the FDA interim regulations prior to April 28, 1999, the Medical Physicist may be considered qualified to be employed if the physicist: (a) Has a bachelor's degree or higher in a physical science with no less than ten semester hours in physics; (b) Has completed 40 contact hours of documented specialized training in conducting surveys of mammography facilities; and (c) Has conducted surveys of at least one mammography facility and a total of at least 20 mammography units. The training and experience requirements must be met after fulfilling the degree requirement specified in 105 CMR 127.013(A)(6)(a). (B) Medical Physicist Duties. The Medical Physicist shall be responsible for: (1) Ensuring that the equipment meets the standards set forth in 105 CMR 127.017; (2) Establishing and conducting the ongoing quality assurance program for the equipment as specified in 105 CMR 127.019(C); and Verifying in writing that the mammography x-ray equipment is in safe operating condition and is being operated at optimum performance criteria to yield the highest quality mammograms: (a) When the equipment is first installed; (b) After any major changes or replacement of parts; (c) At least annually during use; and (d) When quality assurance tests indicate that calibration is needed. (C) Medical Physicist Continuing Qualifications. To continue to be employed at a mammography facility, a Medical Physicist shall: (1) Have obtained or taught at least 15 hours of documented continuing medical education in mammography physics in the last three-year period; (2) Have surveyed at least two mammography facilities and at least six mammography units in the last two-year period; and (3) Maintain a valid Massachusetts registration. (D) Medical Physicist Re-establishing Qualifications. Medical Physicists who fail to maintain the required continuing qualifications in 105 CMR 127.013(C) may not perform mammography surveys without the supervision of a qualified medical physicist. Before independently surveying a facility, the medical physicist must re-establish their qualifications, as follows: (1) Medical Physicists who fail to meet the continuing education requirements shall obtain a sufficient number of CEU's to bring their total up to the required 15 hours in the previous three years. (2) Medical Physicists who fail to survey enough facilities or units shall, under the direct supervision of a qualified medical physicist, complete a sufficient number of surveys so that they have surveyed at least two mammography facilities and six mammography units in the previous 24 months. (E) New Mammography Modality Training. Medical Physicists must receive at least eight hours of training in surveying units of the new mammographic modality.