Title: Physicist

Department: Oncology Medical Physics

Hours of Work: Full-Time Position; Days

Pay Range: $84.449 - $110.470 per hour + pension/benefits

Union: PIPSC
Location: Kingston General Hospital Site, 76 Stuart Street, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

PRIMARY FUNCTION:

To provide scientific and technical support services to ensure the safe and accurate treatment of patients. To assist cancer programs in the development of new treatment techniques and protocols. To teach basic and clinical radiation physics, radiation protection, and related subjects in various hospital training programs. To do research and development aimed at improving the quality of current and future patient treatments.

Employees are accountable for contributing to the delivery of the Kingston Health Sciences Centre strategy. They must demonstrate awareness of, and be responsible for, actively promoting and supporting patient and family centered engagement in all activities.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

The statements below reflect the general details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job as identified. They should not be considered as a detailed description of all work requirements that may be inherent in the job. Participation in particular duties will be set by Chief Medical Physicist.

SERVICE

• Supervises some or all the following: medical physics residents and technical staff.
• Supervises all aspects of radiation therapy treatment planning including external beam therapy and brachytherapy.
• Performs treatment plan evaluation (physics plan checking) of all curative and some palliative radiation treatment plans.
• Performs treatment planning for HDR brachytherapy and complex external beam therapy as needed.
• Develops and documents treatment techniques.
• Performs and supervises acceptance testing, commissioning, calibration and quality assurance of radiotherapy and dosimetry equipment including treatment planning systems.
• Supervises patient specific dosimetric quality assurance (i.e., IMRT QA)
• Develop and documents quality assurance policies and procedures.
• Participates in equipment specification and selection in Division of Radiation Oncology,
• Provides physics presence and support during brachytherapy treatments.
• Performs radiation safety and radiation protection duties (including preparing licence applications and compliance reports, performing radiation surveys, and calculating shielding requirements in facility design) as required.
• Participates in radiation therapy treatment audit and other selected rounds

TEACHING

• Participates in teaching Radiation Physics to Radiation Oncology Residents, Radiation Therapy Students, Dosimetrists and Medical Physics Residents.
• Supervises some or all the following: Medical Physics Residents, summer students, undergraduate and graduate students. Gives in-service training to health care and service providers (nurses, radiation therapists, oncologists, porters, etc.) within the oncology program as well as other areas within the Hospital as required.

OTHER

• Performs research and development in radiotherapy and/or related fields.
• Participates in research funding applications and reporting scientific results,
• Contributes to the activities of the Division of Radiation Oncology.
• Serves on various local committees in the Cancer Program, broader Hospital, University, and Cancer Care Ontario.
• Serves on provincial (e.g., Cancer Care Ontario), national (e.g., CPAC, CAPCA, COMP, CCPM) and international committees.
• Review graduate theses, research articles and grant applications for various universities and national and international scientific journals.
• Maintains proficiency in current medical physics techniques and standards through conference attendance, journal and standards reviews,
• Supervises the Medical Physics Department as required.
• Other duties as assigned by the Chief of Medical Physics.

HEALTH & SAFETY

• Always adheres to responsibilities as set out in the Occupational Health & Safety Act, the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, hospital safety policies and radiation safety manual and dept/unit established procedures.
• Adheres to supervisor responsibilities as set out in the Occupational Health & Safety Act exercising all reasonable precautions for the protection of worker health & safety which includes but is not limited to:
• Being aware of workplace hazards and communicating to staff
• Where appropriate, following up on reported employee workplace injuries/incidents to identify and address immediate hazards.
• Controlling immediate hazards through the implementation of corrective measures/improvements
• Ensuring staff are performing their job duties safely and following up as appropriate to ensure safety of all workers

WORKPLACE CONDUCT

• Understands, and is familiar with, all pertinent KHSC policies and procedures including those relating to workplace conduct. Complies with the KHSC Commitment to uphold the Workplace Conduct and Reporting of Inappropriate Conduct policy and behaves in a manner that is consistent with the guiding principles and expectations.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Graduate degree (MSc or PhD) in Physics or a related field.

• Successful completion of a CAMPEP accredited Radiation Oncology Physics residency training program

• Minimum 2 years (including a residency) in last 2 years of work experience required

• Basic knowledge and clinical experience in radiation physics and radiation protection

• Ability to teach.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Demonstrated ability to perform research and development in Clinical Physics or a related field.

• High degree of interest, enthusiasm and commitment to patient care.

• Experience with Varian radiation delivery and treatment planning equipment is preferred

• Proven ability to attend work regularly.

• Satisfactory criminal reference check and vulnerable sector search required.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The applicant must be able to meet the physical demands of this position.

KHSC is located on the ancestral lands and waters of the Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee and serves a wider geographical area that encompasses many Indigenous communities including Tyendinaga, Katarokwi, as well as communities within the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority. As we partner in care, discovery, and learning to achieve better health outcomes for our communities, KHSC is committed to actively advocating for and acting upon the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s Calls to Action on Health.

Unless specifically stated, all job postings are for existing positions at KHSC. KHSC is committed to recruitment practices that support and contribute to building a respectful, diverse and inclusive workplace in compliance with legislation such as the Employment Standards Act and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. We welcome all applications from women, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, persons in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and members of other equity deserving groups.

Kingston Health Sciences Centre may use artificial intelligence systems to assess and screen applicants. All hiring decisions are made in accordance with KHSC policies and applicable employment legislation.

We thank all applicants, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Kingston Health Sciences Centre is committed to inclusive and accessible employment practices. If you require an accommodation to fully participate in the hiring process, please notify the Recruitment Team.