The Medical Physicist in the balance

More broadly, the AAPM position statement on our role in providing quality medical care states that Medical Physicists have a unique combination of scientific and clinical education and training in physics principles, radiation physics applications, dosimetry planning, radiobiological principles, human anatomy, radiology and oncology principles, as well as safety analysis and quality control methods. Medical Physicists working in clinical, research or educational environments, due to their training and professional focus, are crucial to the delivery of quality radiation therapy, performance of quality medical imaging, and protection of healthcare workers, patients and the general public from the potentially harmful effects of radiation and other physical phenomena such as magnetic fields and ultrasound. [...]it is essential to learn to balance our working obligations — clinic, teaching, research, admin, service to profession. [...]critically important, we have a private, personal, family, “not professional” life, that takes on many forms and makes our life complete beyond how we are defined as a professional medical physicist.