European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics

The European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics (EFOMP) was founded in May 1980 in London to serve as an umbrella organisation for all National Member Organisations (NMOs).

 The current membership (May 2023) covers 37 National Member Organisations which together represent more than 9200 medical physicists and clinical engineers working in the field of medical physics. The office moved to Utrecht, Netherlands in January 2021.

Elements of the European Medical physics history:  Medical Physics in the EFOMP region: History, Education, and Professional recognition 

Aims

The aims and purposes of the Federation include:

• fostering and coordinating the activities of National Member Organisations in the field of Medical Physics and collaborating where appropriate with national and international organisations
• promoting, through the National Member Organisations, the application of the principles, concepts, methods and techniques of physics to medicine, advancing better diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
• contributing, through the National Member Organisations, to the safe application of ionising and non-ionising radiations and other physical agents in medicine by fostering a positive safety culture in hospitals, involving patients, staff and members of the public
• contributing to the advancement of Medical Physics and to the elevation of the standards of practice of the profession
• encouraging exchanges between the National Member Organisations and disseminating professional and scientific information through publications and meetings
• encouraging scholarships and the exchange of Medical Physicists between countries;
• proposing and developing guidelines for education, training, continuous professional development, registration and certification programmes;
• organising, directly or in conjunction with National Member Organisations, events for education, training and continuous professional development in the field of Medical Physics
• making recommendations on the appropriate general responsibilities, organisational relationships and roles of professionals in the field of Medical Physics
• encouraging the formation of organisations for Medical Physics where such organisations do not exist;
• liaising with the European Union on professional, scientific and training matters; participating in research projects related to medical physics scientific, educational and professional matters
• aiming for the recognition of the medical physics profession by the European Union and thus assisting in the mobility of medical physicists across the European Union Member States
• supporting the requirements of the Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM that medical physicists have a high level of competence and clear definition of responsibilities and tasks and that medical physics experts are recognised by the competent authorities.

The activities of the Federation are not aimed at profit.

Mission Statement

The mission of EFOMP is:

• to harmonize and advance medical physics both in its professional clinical and scientific expression throughout Europe,
• to strengthen and make more effective the activities of the NMOs by bringing about and maintaining systematic exchange of professional and scientific information, by the formulation of common policies, and by promoting education and training programmes.

Motto

The moto developed and used by EFOMP to underline the important work of medical physics societies in healthcare is

Applying physics to healthcare for the benefit of patients, staff and public