Health physicist vs research physicist

The differences between health physicists and research physicists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a health physicist and a research physicist. Additionally, a health physicist has an average salary of $74,942, which is higher than the $74,663 average annual salary of a research physicist.

The top three skills for a health physicist include radioactive materials, oversight and ALARA. The most important skills for a research physicist are data analysis, laser, and python.

Health physicist vs research physicist overview

	Health Physicist	Research Physicist
Yearly salary	$74,942	$74,663
Hourly rate	$36.03	$35.90
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	47,640	46,060
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does a health physicist do?

A health physicist investigates research principles by which radiation interacts with living systems and matter. Health physicists study environmental radioactivity levels. Part of their research is radiation's effects on biological systems in space and on earth. They ensure the proper functioning of the x-ray and the storage of radiation therapy. Part of their responsibility is to make sure that scientists are following regulations and safely using their radioactive materials. Also, they are advocates of human and environmental protection.

What does a research physicist do?

A research physicist's job is to conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories based on observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories. Their duties and responsibilities include describing observations, developing simulations, and advising authorities on procedures to be followed.

Health physicist vs research physicist salary

Health physicists and research physicists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Physicist	Research Physicist
Average salary	$74,942	$74,663
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $134,000	Between $51,000 And $107,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Coram, NY
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	UCI Health	Sandia National Labs
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between health physicist and research physicist education

There are a few differences between a health physicist and a research physicist in terms of educational background:

	Health Physicist	Research Physicist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Physics	Physics
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Harvard University

Health physicist vs research physicist demographics

Here are the differences between health physicists' and research physicists' demographics:

	Health Physicist	Research Physicist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 76.9% Female, 23.1%	Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 77.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 10.8% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	24%	24%

Differences between health physicist and research physicist duties and responsibilities

Health physicist example responsibilities.

Manage the work and flow through the plant and department with regard to NDT.
Ensure local site regulatory compliance by providing RSO oversight.
Interpret and apply NRC and EPA regulations pertinent to each assignment.
Review verification data for compliance with EPA cleanup standards.
Perform all functions of outage health physics job coverage.
Monitor and assist RCA exit portal area as needed.

Research physicist example responsibilities.

Foster cross laboratory collaboration between physics labs and between engineering, biology, and chemistry departments to accomplish share goals.
Design and oversee construction of flow loop for development of multi-phase NMR flowmeter.
Develop and conduct technologists' training on MR QC, QA and safety programs.
Commission of ArcCheck (SunNuclear) for patient-specific QA of IMRT, RapidArc, and SBRT as medical physics resident.
Perform all aspects of LDR brachytherapy procedures using VariSeed 8.0 under the supervision of the physician and three ABR certify physicists
Commission TrueBeam Linac system as medical physics resident.

Health physicist vs research physicist skills

Common health physicist skills

Radioactive Materials, 9%
Oversight, 9%
ALARA, 7%
Radiation Safety, 7%
Emergency Response, 5%
NRC, 3%

Common research physicist skills

Data Analysis, 20%
Laser, 15%
Python, 10%
Data Collection, 8%
Technical Reports, 7%
RF, 7%

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Health Physicist vs Research Physicist

Updated January 8, 2025

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