The University of Florida Diagnostic Imaging Medical Physics Residency (DIMPR) program was established in 2011 as a 2-year diagnostic physics residency, with one resident per year. We first received CAMPEP approval in 2012 and renewal of accreditation in 2017. Thus far, we have graduated 13 residents from this program. All of our former residents are ABR board-certified in Diagnostic Medical Physics (or are in the process of becoming board-certified) and are successfully employed in various clinical medical physics careers around the country.
We are proud of the practical well-rounded training that we provide. The majority of our faculty are practicing clinical physicists, as well as graduate faculty teaching in the UF Medical Physics Graduate Program. Our residents have the opportunity to attend courses for didactic training, to teach lectures and demonstration labs for development as educators, and to learn from faculty who perform clinical testing. DIMPR residents will also teach radiology residents, participate in hospital committees, and contribute to administrative decision-making and regulatory compliance. Additional scholarly activities for DIMPR residents include monthly journal club sessions, annual mock oral board examinations, clinical research projects, and conference presentations.
The UF DIMPR program recently began offering an optional third year for residents seeking additional training in nuclear medicine. With the current shortage of nuclear medicine physics residency programs in our country and the nuclear medicine imaging and safety expertise that we have available at the University of Florida, the UF DIMPR program’s optional third year is an attractive opportunity for interested residents.
Future graduates who participate in the optional third year of the DIMPR program will take ABR Part 2 and Part 3 exams during their 3rd year, and potentially graduate residency fully board-certified in Diagnostic Medical Physics, as well as board-eligible in Nuclear Medical Physics.