Choose by the work
Which medical physics specialism might suit you?
The current NSHCS Medical Physics group contains four specialties: Imaging with Non-Ionising Radiation, Radiation Safety and Diagnostic Radiology, Radiotherapy Physics and Nuclear Medicine.
What should you compare?
- The clinical questions and patients the team supports
- The balance of measurement, modelling, coding and communication
- How much work involves ionising or non-ionising radiation
- The equipment and quality systems used each day
- The training locations actually available in a recruitment round
Is diagnostic imaging one STP specialty?
Not under the current taxonomy. Imaging work is split across Imaging with Non-Ionising Radiation and Radiation Safety and Diagnostic Radiology, while Nuclear Medicine also has a substantial imaging component.
Where does Clinical Scientific Computing fit?
It is an adjacent Physical Sciences specialty with useful overlap in data, software and modelling. The NSHCS lists it separately, not inside Medical Physics.
How can you test your preference?
Read official specialty descriptions, attend open events where available and compare real job duties. A preference is stronger when it is based on the work rather than one machine or a general interest in healthcare.
Go one level deeper
Compare the clinical work behind the labels.
Start with radiotherapy, nuclear medicine or the two main imaging-related areas.