The internet is strewn with information that is helpful in prepping; the resources are scattered through the Web and take time to find. One site worth bookmarking provides lecture notes on several physics topics listed in the Initial Certification Study Guide as well as a few practice questions. Another site with lecture notes on relevant topics is the course site for Diagnostic Radiology Imaging Physics at UW. More practice question can be found here and here (though at this site, you will have to register to access the free tests).

Your main allies will be your own lecture notes and good prep books. While cross-referencing is always helpful, the following texts have been helpful to other students who took the ABR Part 1 Physics exam in the past. The first is “Review of Radiologic Physics” by Walter Huda. The book is 272 pages with over 500 practice questions, and the material covered is high-yield. The next two texts are pricey, but serve as good reference texts to have in your possession. They are “The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging” by Bushberg et al and “Medical Imaging Physics” by William Hendee and E. Russell Ritenour. We have also heard that reviewing Raphex exam questions is also key in preparing. There are still a few copies of the very old exams available for purchase on Amazon.com. You can also find copies of recent exams for free on the Web: Raphex 2006 Questions and Answers, Raphex 1998 Questions, Raphex 1997 Questions and the Raphex 1997 Answers.

Last, but certainly not least, talk to people who have taken the exam within the last few years. They will be able to tell you what the ABR has been stressing on the exam these days. Ask them how they prepped and what they found to be useful. Start early, and with the resources listed above in addition to those you locate on your own, you should be well-prepared to tackle Part 1 with ease and success.

Right now, the site supports three categories: For Sale, Wanted and Services–all with subcategories of their own. As items are listed (or per your suggestions), these categories may grow or change, as necessary. MDPhysics is a great venue to post notices whether you are selling or in need of new or used physics equipment, books, CDs (or any other media), etc, as our site draws a large audience of medical physicists and medical physics students everyday. Please feel free to share the announcement of the new medical physics classifieds portion of the site with your classmates and colleagues.

Also, stay tuned, as we are also working on another novel functionality for the site, which will hopefully be ready to go live this summer.

IMRT – IGRT – SBRT: Advances in the Treatment Planning and Delivery of Radiotherapy (published by Karger in 2007 and edited by John L. Meyer) is Volume 40 of the Frontiers of Radiation Therapy and Oncology series. Recently, I had the opportunity to review this book and found it to be an excellent reference that offers a guide to the new technologies of radiotherapy and their major applications in the modern radiotherapy clinic. Whether you are a newcomer to the profession of medical physics or a seasoned veteran of the field, reading this book–whether in part or in entirety–would be an asset for your professional advancement since many modern radiation oncology facilities offer the technologies covered in this book for cancer treatment.

The book is a practical resource and its scope encompasses several areas of concurrent development that have advanced in the field. It covers not only explanations and discussions of the techniques and technologies (IMRT and IGRT), but also applications of these technologies in the clinical setting (such as in the treatment of breast, head and neck, and prostate cancers) as well as guidelines for their current clinical use. The last section, 75 pages, is devoted solely to SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy)–from basic concepts to clinical application. The book is expensive but comparable to other high quality educational and/or clinical reference texts available on the market.

Also, just FYI, as of a few minutes ago, Amazon.com was indicating that there are only 3 more copies of IMRT, IGRT, SBRT: Advances in the Treatment Planning and Delivery of Radiotherapy left in stock (but with more on the way!).

For further information on this or other volumes of books in the Frontiers of Radiation Therapy and Oncology series, go to www.kargar.com/frato.