You meet them during X-ray scans or other diagnostic imaging. Medical physicists perform some of the most important research in modern medicine, but where do they acquire these skills? On Medical Physics Day, we take a look at how the course with this name has evolved after 11 years at the UG Department of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science.
The first recruitment for medical physics at the University of Gdańsk took place in 2011. For six years, changes were made to the major every year. - 'However, now its programme has solidified,' - says dr hab. Aleksander Kubicki, prof. UG, Vice-Dean for Internationalisation and Development at WMFI.
The current timetable is very diverse. It includes classes related to medical law, IT or medicine, among others. The latter are taught by employees of the Medical University of Gdańsk. - 'A great advantage of classes in radiotherapy and nuclear medicine is that we can go to the hospital and see what the work of medical physicists really looks like, both at the planning stations and at the accelerators, which, by the way, make a huge impression on the students,' - says Magdalena Kuszmider, a second-year Master's student of Medical Physics.
The medical physics profession requires a lot of different skills. In addition to the title physics and medicine, graduates in this field of study must also be proficient in other science subjects such as mathematics, which is a problem for many people. - 'Currently, quotas are being filled for our course, but then we see rapid attrition of students because they are not able to cope. It's not enough to read and cram, but you also need to be mathematically literate to make thinking easier,' - says prof. Aleksander Kubicki.
Medical physicists also have a big responsibility. When selecting radiation doses, they can inadvertently cause permanent damage to the patient. At the same time, as specialists responsible for oncological radiotherapy, they happen to work with severely or terminally ill patients. As a result, another item appears in the already very interdisciplinary course grid of the UG Medical Physics degree - clinical psychology.
However, at the end of this path, graduates have the opportunity for interesting and important work, in which not only one uses one's scientific skills, but also interpersonal skills. - 'The strongest aspect of studying Medical Physics is, of course, the prospect of future career paths. Some will find themselves working at a hospital in radiotherapy planning or dosimetry measurements. Others will find the prospect of becoming a medical representative or a radiation protection inspector attractive,' - says Magdalena Kuszmider.
So what is the most important characteristic of a medical physicist? - 'Openness, whether to the patient or new technologies. In this profession, there are often situations where you have to think for yourself,' - answers prof. Aleksander Kubicki.
Na fizykach medycznych ciąży także duża odpowiedzialność. Podczas dobierania dawek promieniowania mogą nieumyślnie spowodować trwałą szkodę u swojego pacjenta. Jednocześnie, jako specjalistom odpowiedzialnym za radioterapię onkologiczną, zdarza im się pracować z osobami ciężko lub nieuleczalnie chorymi. W efekcie pojawia się kolejna pozycja w i tak już bardzo interdyscyplinarnej siatce zajęć na kierunku Fizyka Medyczna UG - psychologia kliniczna.
Jednak na końcu tej drogi absolwenci mają możliwość pracy ciekawej i ważnej, w której nie tylko wykorzystuje się swoje umiejętności ścisłe, ale także interpersonalne. - Najmocniejsza strona studiów na kierunku Fizyka medyczna to oczywiście perspektywa przyszłych ścieżek zawodowych. Jedni odnajdą się w pracy w szpitalu przy planowaniu radioterapii bądź pomiarach dozymetrycznych. Dla innych atrakcyjna będzie perspektywa zostania przedstawicielem medycznym lub inspektorem ochrony radiologicznej - mówi Magdalena Kuszmider.
Jaka jest zatem najważniejsza cecha fizyka medycznego? - Otwartość, czy to na pacjenta, czy na nowe technologie. W tym zawodzie często zdarzają się sytuacje, gdzie trzeba pogłówkować - odpowiada prof. Aleksander Kubicki.