THERAPEUTIC MEDICAL PHYSICIST (ADVANCED LEVEL)

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Duties

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following :

• The advanced Level TMP manages the development and implementation of advanced techniques and special initiatives in radiotherapy, collaborates with radiation oncologists in the development of new clinical protocols, and directs special projects involving clinical applications, clinical research, or quality assurance.
• Serves as a subject matter expert on certain aspects of therapeutic medical physics in which the incumbent has achieved national recognition through research and peer-reviewed publications.
• The Advanced performance level TMP has both the documented professional experience and the demonstrated expertise in medical physics to provide consultative services to the National Radiation Oncology Program( NROP), the National Health Physics Program(NHPP), other VHA program offices and other federal agencies if requested.
• Board certified or board eligible and performs the depth and breadth of clinical practice of therapeutic medical physics.
• Plans, delivers, verifies, and monitors quality assurance of radiotherapy at all levels of complexity.
• Recommends optimal modality and treatment technique for the patient; evaluates the quality, safety, and accuracy of radiation treatments planned and delivered to patients, thus ensuring that radiation dose is carried out correctly and completely; and safely operates all radiation planning and delivery devices.
• Implements radiation therapy of outstanding technical difficulty and responsibility, providing knowledge-based solutions where no rule-based solutions exist.
• 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 actual treatment delivery.
• Provides technical oversight for the work of developmental TMPs, Medical dosimetrist and radiation Therapists.
• 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, and 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.
• Develops, operates and fully documents the medical physics quality assurance program and ensures regulatory compliance within within the Radiation Safety Officer's 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.
• The advanced performance level TMP will be knowledgeable user and subject matter expert in the use of the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system, Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator treatment delivery system, Varian ARIA Record and Verify System, and Sun Nuclear, Mobius, Modus Medical QA equipment and software, and Radialogica Full Access and MIMS Medical Software systems.
• The advance performance level TMP will also be an expert om the following special procedures : dMLC IMRT, VMAT, IGRT, and Motion Management / Gated Treatment.

Work Schedule : Monday- Friday; 08 : 00am-04 : 30pm. Schedule may be subject to change based on the needs of the facility.

Telework : Not Available

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 91435-A

Relocation / Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized.

EDRP Authorized : Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, for questions / assistance. Learn more

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not Authorized.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider :

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification / licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements :

Approved Certifying Bodies :

The American Board of Radiology (ABR) in any of the following field titles :

Therapeutic Medical Physics

Loss of Board Certification. Once board certified, TMPs must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of board certification may result in termination of employment.

Grade Determinations :

GS-14 Therapeutic Medical Physicist ( Advanced Level)

Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, completion of a minimum of 1 year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the next lower grade. This experience may include but is not limited to : plans, delivers, verifies, and monitors quality assurance of radiotherapy at all levels of complexity. Specific tasks include : recommending an optimal modality and treatment technique for the patient; evaluating the quality, safety, and accuracy of radiation treatments planned and delivered to patients, thus ensuring that radiation dose is carried out correctly and completely; and safely operating all radiation planning and delivery devices. 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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities . In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs :

Reference : For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https : / / www.va.gov / ohrm / QualificationStandards / .

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14 .

Physical Requirements : Moderate lifting (15-44 lbs); Moderate carrying (15-44 lbs); straight pulling (1 hour); pushing (1 hour); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking (8-12 hours); standing (8-12 hours); ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaegar 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20 / 20 and to 20 / 40 in the other; both eyes required; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; hearing (aid permitted). Transferring patients and objects may be required. Don protective clothing in isolation situation or operative / invasive procedures. May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

Continued under EDUCATION below...

Education

Creditable Experience

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).

Grandfathering Provision . All persons employed in VHA as a TMP on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualifications requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following apply.

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

A copy of your certificate / degree or screenshot of your current classes are not a replacement of your transcript and they will not be used in the qualifying process. Your transcript must include your name and the name and full address of the institution.

If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume.

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 : https : / / sites.ed.gov / international / recognition-of-foreign-qualifications / .

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration / Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA / OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.