Overview
The Irish College of Physicists in Medicine (ICPM) was established as a voluntary register for the Medical Physics profession in 2010, with the key objective of setting and maintain professional standards in Medical Physics in Ireland.
Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM lays down the basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation. In 2018, the European Union (Basic Safety Standards for Protection Against Dangers Arising from Medical Exposure to Ionising Radiation) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 256 of 2018) transposed the medical provisions in the Directive into national law. The ICPM advised the Department of Health on key aspects of the recognition of Medical Physics Expert (MPE) during the transposition process.
The statutory instrument (S.I.) provides for the Minister for Health to establish requirements for the recognition of MPEs. Regulation 19(5) of the S.I. provides that any persons whose names are entered on the voluntary register of medical physics experts maintained by the ICPM , in the categories of diagnostic radiology and imaging physics and therapeutic applications of ionising radiation, will be automatically registered temporarily in the Register of Medical Physics Experts on the establishment of such a register by the Minister for Health, and such temporary registration will lapse on the earlier of the expiration of the period of registration on the voluntary ICPM register, or the date when the person’s name is entered on the Register of Medical Physics Experts following a successful application for registration to the Minister. The ICPM work closely with the Department of Health to ensure that the requirements for the recognition of MPEs are in line with EU standards.
In 2022, the ICPM was re-approved by the European Federation of Medical Physics (EFOMP) as the National MPE Registration Scheme in Ireland. The ICPM currently has over 150 full members who meet the professional standards set by EFOMP.
Registration with the ICPM guards against unsafe, incompetent, or unethical Medical Physics practices thereby supporting quality and safety in the Medical Physics profession and Medical Physics services provided. Employers and patients can be assured that MPE’s registered with the ICPM meet European standards of education, training and competence, and abide by professional and ethical standards.
Our Vision
To promote the highest quality of patient care through professional standards in medical physics.
Our Mission
- To deliver quality and safety in the Medical Physics profession by setting standards for entry and continued registration to the Medical Physics Expert register.
- To maintain a register of those deemed competent to perform work which demands scientific knowledge and expertise in the application of physics and applied physics to problems of healthcare delivery and development.
- To approve education and training programmes that successfully deliver those standards.
- To establish and maintain standards of training and professional performance for medical physicists.
- To promote and disseminate knowledge and information relating to developments of the physical sciences in medicine.
- To promote the interests of its members.