Certification of competence in clinical medical physics is offered in four distinct sub-specialties: Diagnostic Radiological Physics; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Nuclear Medicine Physics and Radiation Oncology Physics. Candidates declare their sub-specialty at the time of application. A separate exam is administered for each of the sub-specialties, although some material related to general medical physics is common to each of the exams. Candidates who qualify for the Membership examination process must do a written exam and an oral exam in order to become certified.
Individuals seeking certification from CCPM must meet certain requirements. Applicants for Membership must hold a suitable graduate degree, and must meet a minimum requirement for patient-related work experience. Applicants for Fellowship must have additional work experience, and have made significant contributions in clinical service, education and/or research related to medical physics. Details of the requirements for both Membership and Fellowship can be found in the Application Instructions.
If the requirements are met, the applicant must then successfully complete the examination process, after which he or she will be elected to Membership or Fellowship at the next Annual General Meeting of the College.
Retention of competency certification (Membership) in the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine requires recertification every five years and Physics of Mammography in the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine requires recertification every three years. Recertification consists of a credential review of evidence of clinical practice and appropriate continuing education.
Please see CCPM Bylaws and CCPM Regulations (Section F) for more information on this process.
The following information is required for recertification. Please note that if you have more than one specialty, you must submit a separate credit submission for each.
Additional information about the recertification process is available on the FAQ page.
Please contact the CCPM Administrator info@ccpm.ca with any questions or requests for more information.
The following information is required for recertification. Recertification requirements for CCPM certified mammography physicists are outlined in the CCPM regulations in Section H.8 and include the following:
When applying for recertification please provide:
Please contact the CCPM Administrator info@ccpm.ca with any questions or requests for more information.
The Board of the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine is pleased to honour the Founding President of the College by means of the Harold E. Johns Travel Award for Young Investigators.
H. E. Johns – Officer of the Order of Canada, Ph.D., LL.D., D.Sc., Emeritus University Professor and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Medical Biophysics and Radiology, University of Toronto.
Dr. Johns was born of missionary parents while in West China. During his scientific career, he published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, trained over 100 graduate students, many of whom hold key positions in the field of Medical Physics across Canada and around the world. He has won many prestigious awards and has published four editions of “The Physics of Radiology”, the premiere textbook in the field.
His developments in the late 1940s of the Cobalt “bomb” led to a career in the pioneering field of Medical Biophysics. This in turn led to an international reputation among scientists. His many awards and accolades reflect the respect and admiration in which he was held by academics and scientists around the world. He was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 1998. Dr. Johns passed away on August 23, 1998.
The Harold E. Johns Travel award is given annually by the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine to an outstanding CCPM Member proposing to visit one or more medical physics centres or to attend specialized training courses such as an American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) summer school. It is intended to assist the CCPM Member in extending their knowledge by travelling to another centre or institution with the intent of gaining further experience in their chosen field, or, alternately, to embark on a new field of endeavour in medical physics. The ultimate goal of the award is to enhance medical physics practice in Canada.
Applicants may travel either inside Canada or elsewhere. Applicants must have passed the CCPM membership exam within the previous three years, and should not have previously taken a similar course or have spent a significant amount of time at the proposed institutions. The award is for $3,000 and will be paid upon receipt of a satisfactory expense claim. Recipients need not be Canadian citizens but must be working in Canada.
The next application deadline is Friday, April 11, 2025.
Applicants must apply online with the following information:
The selection committee reserves the right to contact additional individuals or institutions.
A panel appointed by the Board of the College will choose the award recipient. Their choice will be based upon: 1) the written proposal submitted by the applicant, 2) references obtained by the committee, and 3) membership exam results. The award will be announced at the Annual General Meeting of the College. Recipients will have two years after their application deadline to complete their travel and will be required to submit a short report to the InterACTIONS newsletter.
Applicants who are unsuccessful in any one year and still eligible in subsequent years may have their applications considered again by writing to the Registrar and providing any necessary updated information.
For questions, please contact registrar@ccpm.ca
Mike Sattarivand, FCCPM, DABR, P.Eng., CRPA(R)
