Future clinical medical physics division should have fewer medical physicists and more medical physics assistants

INTRODUCTION Medical physics is a specialized branch of applied physics that plays a critical role in healthcare, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.1 Medical physicists contribute directly to patient care through a range of responsibilities, such as providing clinical services, routine evaluations of equipment performance, performing quality and safety inspections, and taking on roles in administrative, education, informatic data services.1,2 Among its many subfields, therapeutic medical physics, which focuses on applying principles of physics in radiotherapy, stands out as one of the most prominent professional service within the branch. Unlike programs that primarily focus on training, such as unpaid internships or practicums, the MPA program emphasizes task-driven hands-on experience and values individuals’ labor with proper monetary compensation. To safely integrate MPAs into routine clinical practice, it is crucial to clearly define their qualifications and scope of work, as well as establish the level of supervision required from medical physicists.6 Setting these guidelines ensures that MPAs contribute effectively to the healthcare system without compromising care quality delivered to patients. Currently, there is a lack of systematic guidelines on the training and clinical responsibilities of MPAs, leading to variability in their roles across institutions. [...]there is an increasing potential for scenarios where MPAs outnumber QMPs in clinical settings.