Why Hire a CMD?
Why Hire a Certified Medical Dosimetrist (CMD)?
Hiring a non-Certified Medical Dosimetrist is comparable to hiring a non-board-certified physician or physicist. Organizations and institutions should prioritize hiring a Certified Medical Dosimetrist to ensure they are providing exceptional care to their patients, current with state-of-the-art technologies, and up-to-date with rapidly changing advancements within the field. Rapid evolutions in the field combined with the complexities involved with developing comprehensive treatment plans for patients undergoing radiation therapy has led to the need for a deeper, fundamental understanding of the physics behind dosimetry and the advanced technology used in the field. Learn about the details of CMD certification.
Why More Institutions are Hiring CMDs
In general, certification provides benefits to the practitioner, the employer and the public validating skills and knowledge assuring the certificant has met rigorous requirements.
More specifically, the American College of Radiology (ACR) and American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) endorse certification for all personnel to ensure quality patient care, https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/Practice-Parameters/RadOnc.pdf. ACR and ASTRO APEx Accreditation Programs require certification for Medical Dosimetrists.
How do you know that Certified Medical Dosimetrists have the knowledge, training and expertise required for the job?
Certified Medical Dosimetrists are part of a specialized group of professionals who have proven their understanding of radiation oncology treatment modalities and application of principles of physics, anatomy and radiobiology.
Candidates for certification must:
- Hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree
- Be a graduate of a Medical Dosimetry JRCERT (Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology) accredited program of at least 12 months
The MDCB exam is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Development of the examination itself follows a rigorous process that adheres to best practice standards outlined in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing developed jointly by the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education and which Prometric is devoted to maintaining.
The examination continues to be updated for relevance to current practice through a Job Analysis Survey conducted every 5 years by Prometric, the MDCB exam administrator. The Job Task Analysis also known as a Role Delineation Study is designed to meet stringent certification industry standards and recognized best practice guidelines.
As a result of the Job Task Analysis, a test matrix is delineated. The most recent Job Task Analysis outlines the following content areas and percentages:
2019 Exam Matrix
- Treatment Planning - 40%
- Radiation Physics - 16%
- Dose Calculation Methods - 15%
- QA & Standard of Care - 8%
- Brachytherapy - 6%
- Localization - 8%
- Radiation Protection - 7%
Continuing Education Requirements
Once certified, Certified Medical Dosimetrists must obtain continuing education credits to maintain competencies and advance their knowledge and growth of new technologies.
Credits can be earned through:
- Academic Coursework
- Journal Authoring, Reviewing and Editing
- Lectures
- Self-study
- Seminars & Workshops
- Speaker Presentations
Standard of Ethics
The MDCB requires that all Certified Medical Dosimetrists uphold ethical standards with a formal complaint and sanction process.
MDCB’s Credentialing Verification
To ensure you’re hiring a Certified Medical Dosimetrist, visit:
https://mdcb.learningbuilder.com/Public/MemberSearch/CertificateVerification