The Medical Physics Residency Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus started in 2012 and is the first in the Rocky Mountain region.  The residency is a two-year program that emphasizes professional and clinical quality in radiation oncology physics.  Residents are expected to become an integral part of the Department of Radiation Oncology performing clinical duties while interacting closely with the entire faculty and staff.  

The Medical Physics Residency Program provides structured didactic and hands-on training in all the broad areas of clinical radiation oncology physics.  The goal of the program is to prepare the graduate for the board certification examination and a professional career in radiation therapy. Comprehensive training and experience is provided in the areas of patient setup and simulation, clinical dosimetry, treatment planning, linac calibration and quality assurance, high and low dose rate brachytherapy, IMRT, VMAT, SBRT, SRS, imaging in radiotherapy, special procedures, and radiation safety.  

The mission of the program is to provide comprehensive clinical training and educational experience in radiation oncology physics in accordance with CAMPEP standards. The training involves full participation of the physics resident in the clinical routine, under the supervision of the Program Director and the program faculty. Comprehensive training and experience are provided in the broad areas of equipment calibration, radiation dosimetry, treatment planning, radiation shielding, facility design, radiation protection and quality assurance. 

Overall program goals are to prepare the successful resident for the board certification examination and to practice independently in radiation oncology physics.

Specific program objectives include the development in the resident of:

• the understanding the role of patient safety in clinical practice
• the knowledge, skills, and competency required for safe application of technologies used in clinical practice
• an understanding of protocols and practices essential to the use of technologies in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of relevant diseases
• an appreciation of the purpose and applications of sophisticated techniques
• the ability to clinically implement new technologies and practices
• the ability to solve clinical problems using analytical and research methods
• the ability to critically evaluate research and scholarship in medical physics
• communication and interpersonal skills needed to function in the multidisciplinary clinical environment
• professional attributes and ethical conduct required of medical physicists
• a valuing of continuing education to keep professional knowledge and skills current​