Hello, all. So, I am a prospective medical physics graduate student for the fall of 2015 and I have been accepted into two of my top four choices: The 2 year M.S. program in Medical Physics at Columbia and the four year DMP (Professional Doctorate of Medical Physics) program at Vanderbilt. Both programs would require massive student loans and both would be extremely expensive. Also, from everything I can gather, both programs have stellar reputations.
To those of you familiar with the medical physics field and with the prospects of the somewhat uncommon DMP degree in particular, do you think the guaranteed residency is worth taking out loans for an extra two years? What would an M.S. graduate from Columbia's program do with his/her life if he/she didn't get into a residency program? Are there "junior" medical physicist jobs available for such unfortunate souls? etc, etc. Any information from people currently in the field would be greatly appreciated.
One additional concern I have is that I will be turning 30 this coming summer. I need to get my career going. The biggest thing that worries me about the DMP is the extra two years and having to go even further into debt for a residency experience that I would be paid for elsewhere. The biggest thing that worries me about the Master's program is that admission into medical physics residencies is absurdly competitive, and without a CAMPEP accredited residency, one can not become a board certified medical physicist.
Thanks in advance.
Columbia (M.S. in Medical Physics) vs. Vanderbilt (DMP)
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Re: Columbia (M.S. in Medical Physics) vs. Vanderbilt (DMP)
The future of the DMP and its degree holders is uncertain. As you said, a MS in medical physics is an expensive degree and the residency prospects for MS degree holders are currently much lower compared to the Ph.D. At the end of the day, the DMP is essentially just a master's degree combined with a residency. For those trying to get into the field, the DMP is admittedly an attractive option. However, according to a survey by the AAPM the DMP is not held in high regard in the field as many believe it will cause a number of problems, including forcing students to pay for residencies that previously would have had stipends, eliminating the MS degree entirely from clinical practice, and degrading the value of the Ph.D.
Because the DMP is so new no one can currently say what your prospects will be. From discussions with my colleagues it seems that the consensus at least in my hospital is that the DMP is viewed essentially equivalently to a MS degree as far as hiring purposes. I cannot speak for other hospitals or for the field in general.
YMMV.
Because the DMP is so new no one can currently say what your prospects will be. From discussions with my colleagues it seems that the consensus at least in my hospital is that the DMP is viewed essentially equivalently to a MS degree as far as hiring purposes. I cannot speak for other hospitals or for the field in general.
YMMV.