1. In order for candidate Hospital Physicists – Medical Physicists who have attended the Greek training program to get a professional certificate as a Hospital Physicist – Medical Physicist working with ionizing radiation, until the training program’s modification around June 2018, they must have:
   1. Physics Degree (four-year)
   2. Master’s degree in Medical Physics from Greece or recognised foreign postgraduate programs of studies (two-year or twelve-month full time) 
   3. A twelve-month clinical training in hospital that is divided into a four-month phase at Radiation Therapy field of physics, a four-month phase at Medical Imaging field of physics and a four-month phase at Nuclear Medicine field of physics.
   4. Passed the Radiation Therapy, Medical Imaging, Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection examinations.

   Take into account that the professional certificate is provided by Ministry of Health and the holder of the certificate is allowed to work in any field of medical physics. 

   Additionally, a Hospital Physicist, working with non-ionizing radiation, certification is obtained, with no clinical practice required, by taking exams in the physics’ fields of MRI, Laser and Ultrasound.

2. According to the new Greek training program, the duration of clinical practice will change to three-year and include all fields of non-ionizing radiation. Therefore, a single professional certificate as a Hospital Physicist – Medical Physicist is expected and will permit the occupation with all fields of Medical Physics.
3. If a foreign candidate comes in Greece having met some of the requirements (1) to (3), then she/he can enroll into the training program and take part in the examination, as long as she/he requires everything, in accordance with Greek program, in her/his curriculum vitae (CV). Nonetheless, vacancies for clinical practice are limited.
4. Hospital Physicists – Medical Physicists who have attended the training course abroad and have gotten the professional certification, could optionally have it recognized by the Council for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications (SAEP) that belongs to Ministry of Health. 
   The candidate has to submit a thorough CV along with the translated documents and evidence of, at least, qualifications (1) to (4), which are, also, the minimum expected internationally. The application is being processed by rapporteur – secretary of SAEP and is reviewed by the committee in which a member representative of Hellenic Association of Medical Physicists (EFIE) participates.
   The recognition regards the exact professional qualifications the candidate had been accredited of by the state where she/he initially got the professional certification from, meaning that if she/he had a certification as Hospital Physicist – Medical Physicist specializing in Radiotherapy, for instance, then she/he could not practice physics of Nuclear Medicine, in Greece.
   The SAEP’s recognition procedure requires time. The recognition gets easier in case that the candidate has attended a complete training program inside the European Union.

HAMP STATEMENT: The Hellenic Association of Medical Physicists, over the past 30 years, is closely monitoring the status of radiological diagnostic and therapeutic equipment all over the country, the QA/QC procedures applied to clinical practices as well as the development of its own members in terms of professional status and of education and training. One of the major problems is the staffing levels as far as Medical Physicists are concerned. The shortage of qualified MP experts in the current diagnostic and therapeutic radiological procedures is actually deteriorating the quality and safety of the health services provided and this has to be solved in the near future. Furthermore, the Greek government has to invest in new technologies for both diagnosis and treatment, which will improve the accessibility and availability in quality health services for all citizens and thus providing early and accurate diagnosis and efficient treatment. This will benefit as well, in long term, the health economics of the country. Finally, steps have to be made concerning the compliance with the EU BSS and the IAEA/WHO recommendations concerning the professional status of Medical Physicists, the registration scheme and the CPD.

The enclosed file contains guidelines for Clinical Training Guidelines

MEDICAL RADIATION PHYSICIST– HOSPITAL PHYSICIST

Provides service in

• Nuclear Medicine
• Diagnostic Radiology – Medical Imaging
• Radiation Therapy

targeting

• the effective use of
  • Radioisotopes for diagnostic and therapeutic purpose
  • Imaging equipment in Diagnostic Radiology
  • Radiation Therapy equipment
• the development and application of novel diagnostic & therapeutic modalities
• the optimisation of radiation protection for patients and personnel
• the provision of best practice guidelines of radiation protection in medical institutions