Staffing in medical radiation physics in Germany--summary of a questionnaire

To obtain an overview of the actual staffing levels in Medical Radiation Physics, a survey was carried out in 1999 by the task-group "Staffing requirements" of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Physik (DGMP; German Society of Medical Physics) among all DGMP members active in this field. The main components for equipment and activities are defined as in Report 8 and 10 of the DGMP for staffing requirements in Medical Radiation Physics. The survey focused on these main components. Of 322 forms sent out, 173 answers could be evaluated. From the answers regarding equipment and activities, theoretical staff requirements were calculated on the basis of this spot-check target and compared with the effective staffing levels documented in the survey. The spot-check data were then extrapolated to the whole Germany. The calculation revealed a deficit of 72% for the whole physics staff and of 58% for the number of physicists. Considering the age distribution of the DGMP members and the calculated staffing deficit, a training need was calculated of approximately 100 medical physicists per year in Germany, provided that the goal is set of cutting back the deficit in 10 years.