Therapeutic Medical Physicist Salary in 2026: Benchmarks for Cancer Centers

Summary: the short answer

An ABR-certified therapeutic medical physicist is one of the scarcest clinical roles in healthcare. Based on the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Professional Survey benchmarks, full-time ABR-certified M.S. physicists command a median base near $235,000 (75th percentile near $268,000), ABR-certified Ph.D. physicists sit near a $248,000 median (75th percentile near $290,000), and Chiefs of Clinical Physics range from a $285,000 median to $335,000+ at the 75th percentile. Because a linear accelerator and high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy program cannot legally treat patients without qualified medical physics coverage, an unpriced or slow search quickly forces a department into $2,000+/day locum physics contracts.

What does a therapeutic medical physicist earn in 2026?

Unlike radiation therapists or medical dosimetrists, clinical medical physicists are grouped by the Bureau of Labor Statistics into the broader Physicists category (SOC 19-2012), which mixes academic, government, and hospital physicists. In the May 2025 BLS data, the overall median for physicists was $166,290, while general medical and surgical hospitals reported a mean of $219,050 and outpatient care centers reported a mean above $239,200.

Because BLS blends board-certified clinical physicists with non-clinical physicists, hospital and cancer center executives rely on the AAPM Professional Survey for offer calibration:

To see how this role fits alongside the rest of your radiation oncology treatment team, compare our employer guides on medical dosimetrist salary benchmarks ($147,470 BLS median) and radiation therapist salary benchmarks ($105,310 BLS median).

Why is the ABR medical physicist supply so inelastic?

Every candidate entering clinical therapeutic medical physics must pass through a strict multi-year funnel:

1. CAMPEP-accredited graduate degree (M.S., Ph.D., or post-doctoral certificate).
2. CAMPEP-accredited 2-year clinical residency (where the number of residency slots is capped by accredited hospital training sites).
3. American Board of Radiology (ABR) Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 (Oral) Certification in Therapeutic Medical Physics.

You cannot cross-train a physicist from another discipline or fast-track a candidate around a CAMPEP residency. As cancer centers expand stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), adaptive radiotherapy (Ethos / Unity MR-Linac), proton therapy, and radiopharmaceutical theranostics (Lu-177 / Pluvicto), regulatory physics QA hours per patient have climbed while the annual graduating residency cohort has stayed tight.

The true cost of an open medical physicist seat

When a staff or chief physicist resigns, a cancer center faces immediate operational exposure:

• Statutory presence requirements: NRC 10 CFR Part 35 and Agreement State regulations require an Authorized Medical Physicist (AMP) physically present for HDR brachytherapy, gamma stereotactic radiosurgery, and teletherapy commissioning/calibration, plus patient-specific SRS/SBRT QA under AAPM TG-51, TG-142, and TG-218 protocols.
• Locum tenens burn: Interim locum physics coverage routinely bills at $1,800 to $2,500+ per day plus travel and lodging ($38,000 to $50,000+ per month for a single FTE).
• Remaining team burnout: When a three-physicist department drops to two, machine QA (monthly and annual linac calibrations) moves to late evenings and weekends, putting your remaining ABR physicists at immediate flight risk.

What moves a passive ABR physicist in 2026?

Board-certified physicists rarely browse general job boards. When we approach a passive ABR physicist for our Radiation Oncology Medical Physicists practice, four specifics determine whether they take a call:

1. Linac and TPS fleet: Specify the exact vaults and software (for example, Varian TrueBeam / Halcyon / Edge with Eclipse and ARIA, or Elekta Versa HD / Unity with Monaco and MOSAIQ).
2. Physics and dosimetry staffing ratio: A physicist wants to know how many linacs, how many CMDs, and how many other ABR physicists share the clinical load, and whether dosimetrists handle routine contour/plan generation so physics can focus on special procedures and QA.
3. Protected machine QA and project time: Clarify how monthly/annual TG-51 calibrations and new equipment acceptance/commissioning are scheduled and compensated.
4. RSO and special-procedure stipends: If the physicist will serve as the facility Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) on the radioactive materials license or lead an HDR/SRS program, price that responsibility explicitly.

What does a medical physicist search cost?

At Engaged Headhunters, fees are 15 to 30% of first-year salary, with engagement fees starting at $3,500. Every search includes a replacement guarantee per your engagement agreement. Compared against $40,000+ per month in locum physics agency invoices, filling the seat permanently with a passive ABR physicist pays for itself within weeks of start date.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the median salary for an ABR-certified therapeutic medical physicist?

According to AAPM Professional Survey benchmarks, ABR-certified M.S. therapeutic medical physicists earn a median base salary near $235,000 (75th percentile $268,000), while ABR-certified Ph.D. physicists earn a median near $248,000 (75th percentile $290,000) and Chiefs of Physics earn a median near $285,000 ($335,000 at the 75th percentile).

What is the difference between an ABR-certified and a board-eligible medical physicist?

A board-eligible physicist has completed a CAMPEP-accredited graduate degree and residency and is progressing through the ABR Part 2 and Part 3 exam sequence (typically earning $178,000 to $205,000). An ABR-certified physicist has passed Part 3 oral exams and can independently sign off on all regulated therapeutic procedures and serve as an Authorized Medical Physicist (AMP).

Can a therapeutic medical physicist work hybrid or remote?

Chart checks, initial plan reviews, and treatment planning QA can often be performed remotely one to two days per week, and offering 1-to-2 remote QA days is a strong recruiting lever. However, HDR brachytherapy, SRS/SBRT delivery support, and linac TG-51/TG-142 QA require on-site physical presence.

How do cancer centers recruit medical physicists when job postings get zero applicants?

Because almost all ABR-certified physicists are employed, effective searches rely on direct confidential outreach to physicists currently working on matching linac/TPS fleets who are seeking better staffing ratios, Chief progression, or hybrid QA flexibility.

Talk to us about your medical physics opening

If your oncology department has an open ABR physicist or Chief of Physics seat, book a confidential scoping call and we will map the qualified physicists matching your linac and TPS stack.

• Book an employer calibration call
• Explore our Radiation Oncology Medical Physicists practice

Sources

1. American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), Professional Survey Report (ABR Therapeutic Medical Physics compensation tiers by degree and certification status: Board-Eligible $178,000 to $205,000; ABR M.S. $235,000 median / $268,000 75th percentile; ABR Ph.D. $248,000 median / $290,000 75th percentile; Chief of Physics $285,000 median / $335,000 75th percentile): https://www.aapm.org (opens in a new tab)
2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 19-2012 Physicists (May 2025 median $166,290 overall; General Medical and Surgical Hospitals mean $219,050): https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes192012.htm (opens in a new tab)
3. American Board of Radiology (ABR), Medical Physics Initial Certification Requirements: https://www.theabr.org/medical-physics/initial-certification (opens in a new tab)