Study objective
The aim of the university course is to provide postgraduate training for physicists and graduates of related fields of study in accordance with § 5 in the field of medical physics, with a focus on working in a clinical setting. The curriculum provides theoretical and practical knowledge that enables graduates to work as medical physicists in clinical institutions in the diagnosis and treatment of patients or to take on positions of responsibility in relevant industrial companies in the development and manufacture of innovative medical technology devices. In addition, all knowledge required for radiation protection as a radiation protection officer in the medical field is taught in accordance with § 79 of the General Radiation Protection Ordinance 2020 – AllgStrSchV 2020, BGBl. II No. 339/2020. Persons who have successfully completed the university course acquire the necessary theoretical knowledge in accordance with the valid guidelines of the European Federation of Medical Physics (EFOMP) and the Austrian Society for Medical Physics (ÖGMP) for professional recognition and may – subject to any further qualification steps – work as medical physicists in Austria in accordance with § 21 (1) Z 1 of the Medical Radiation Protection Ordinance, Federal Law Gazette II No. 375/2017 as amended by Federal Law Gazette II No. 353/2020. They are therefore qualified to independently perform all tasks specified in the radiation protection regulations for medical physicists. Graduates acquire skills in the field of diversity in medicine and gender medicine and are able to assess the relationship between the core dimensions of diversity (socioeconomic status, ethnicity/origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, worldview/religion) and health status. Particular attention is paid to compliance with current treatment guidelines and legal aspects.
Qualification profile
In order to perform the activities specified in § 1 of the curriculum as a medical physicist, it is necessary to acquire general and subject-specific knowledge and skills: General knowledge of the medical, mathematical, physical, and technical fundamentals that enable the performance of medical physics tasks in all relevant clinical areas, comprehensive knowledge of medical radiation protection, specialized knowledge of the management and quality assurance of large medical equipment, and specialized knowledge of medical physics in radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, and X-ray diagnostics.
Graduates should be able to
- apply the principles and methods of physics and technology in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases,
- carry out development and research in these areas,
- understand and observe the limitations that occur in a hospital environment when applying physical and technical methods,
- understand the importance of safe working practices and the basics of safety regulations and apply them in clinical work,
- adopt a critical open-mindedness towards technological trends and developments in medicine
The training objectives for the profession of medical physicist are set out in the European Commission's Radiation Protection No. 174 guideline (European Guidelines on Medical Physics Expert, ISBN 978-92-79-35786-2). The purpose of the university course is to provide theoretical training for medical physicists at European Qualification Level 7.