Is the Geographic Distribution of Medical Physics Residency Programs In the US Aligned with the Therapy Physics Job Market?
Abstract
Purpose
Persistent difficulty in recruiting therapeutic medical physicists, particularly outside large metropolitan and/or academic centers, suggests a geographic mismatch between training locations and workforce demand. While residency programs have expanded nationally, their spatial relationship to the job market has not been thoroughly examined. This study evaluates the alignment between residency program geography and the US therapy physics job market using regional, urban–rural, and distance-based analyses.
Methods
Three analyses were performed. First, the geographic distribution of CAMPEP-accredited therapeutic medical physics residency positions was compared with the distribution of potential job locations at state and regional levels. Second, residency positions and job locations were categorized by city size to assess urban–rural differences in training and employment patterns. Third, the shortest travel time from each job location to the nearest residency program was calculated to characterize proximity between training sites and employment opportunities. Together, these analyses provide a multi-axis assessment of training–workforce alignment.
Results
Across state and regional comparisons, residency positions and job openings demonstrated consistent geographic misalignment, with several regions exhibiting greater job demand relative to local training capacity (p=0.036 and p=0.009, respectively). Urban–rural analysis revealed a concentration of residency programs in large and mega cities, while a substantial share of job openings were located in small towns and smaller cities (p3 hours, 21.3%>1.5 hours).
Conclusion
Across multiple geographical axes, the distribution of medical physics residency programs differs from the distribution of therapy physics job opportunities. Consideration of residency placement as a workforce lever, with targeted expansion in regions and community settings that are geographically distant from existing training programs, may help mitigate the present mismatch.