The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's about trust.
Curies forever.
Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com
Toli Mikell wrote:
Radsafers: One thing I've noticed is that in the health physics job market, professional opportunities seem to be few and far between for non-CHP's. (Note: I'm not currently looking for a job.) It seems as if non-CHPs are generally limited to technician level positions. What compounds this problem is, that according the ABHP, technician level experience does not satisfy the experience requirement for certification. The lack of professional entry level health physics positions for non-CHPs steers away recent college grads who might consider a career in health physics. As evidence of this, take note of how many people under age 30 are at a Health Physics Society meeting. If you can count them with more than one hand I'd be surprised. Think about it, you don't need to be a PE to get an entry level engineering job right out of college. Do yo! ! u really need to be a CHP to be an entry level health physicist?
The problem seems to me that there seems to be no recognized standard of achievement for non-CHP's. The easiest analogy that comes to mind would be the Boy Scouts. Let's say that a CHP would be equivalent to an Eagle Scout. You could assign different "merit badges" for various levels of experience and understanding (similar to the varying levels of Cub Scouts). If there were some sort of scale that would be universally accepted, perhaps employers can better tailor job qualifications and salary accordingly. Yes, I am aware that there is a Part I to the certification exam, but I have yet to see this specifically referenced as a qualifier in a job posting.
I'd like to hear what others (especially non-CHP's) think about this.
Toli Mikell
(About the author: I'm a Health Physicist (non-CHP) for a health care services company with a B.S. in Physics. I'm 28 and have been invol! ! ved in health physics since graduating college in 1998.)
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