A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, MRI method and a computer readable medium are configured to determine a specific absorption rate (SAR) for the patient based on at least (a) NMR signal strength at a phantom when the at least one RF coil is loaded with the patient for an MRI scan, and (b) NMR signal strength at the phantom when the at least one RF coil is not loaded with the patient for an MRI scan.