Re: Badges for surgery

[John Jacobus <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>]

Your second and third paragraphs are too true for

words.  If you don't learn to roll with the punches,

you will not survive.



I have developed a "strange" sense of humor when

dealing with physicians, e.g., "as long as you don't

me or yourself, we will do okay."



--- William V Lipton <liptonw@DTEENERGY.COM> wrote:

> I agree with your position with two exceptions.

> 

> 1.  The decision regarding the requirement for

> monitoring has to be prospective,

> not retrospective.  While exposure history is useful

> information for this

> decision, workloads and procedures can change, which

> may require monitoring of

> someone who did not previously require it.  I agree

> that all radiation workers

> should be monitored.  For one thing, you don't get

> bogged down in individual

> decisions, and the potential to overlook a workload

> or procedure change.  Also,

> if you have radiation injury litigation from an

> individual who was not

> monitored, his lawyer will be happy to calculate the

> dose for you.

> 

> 2.  The argument that swapping badges is too

> difficult for a surgeon would be

> funny if it weren't so sad.  It says a lot about the

> importance of our

> "profession."  I disagree that, "discontinuing

> badges for those workers may be

> the way to go...."  If the surgeons can't be

> bothered to follow some basic good

> practices, then they shouldn't be working there, and

> if the Radiation Safety

> Committee won't support you on that one, you should

> be looking for a job

> someplace else.  Rolling over may seem like the path

> of least resistance, but it

> will catch up with you, later.  If anything goes

> wrong, I would guess that the

> surgeons will say something like, "If he'd told me

> to wear a badge, I would

> have..."  (I previously reported my experience with

> a scientist who said

> something like, "If I screw up, I'll take

> responsibiltiy for it, but in the

> meantime, don't bother me."  He caused a major

> accident shortly after that, and

> sued his employer for making him work under such

> dangerous conditions.)

> 

> When I was in graduate school, I considered going

> into medical physics.  Then, I

> realized that, at a hospital, there are two classes

> of workers:  1.  MD's,  2.

> everyone else.  This thread seems to validate that

> view.  You can have ten PhD's

> and a Nobel Prize, but you're still the hired help.

> 

> All you medical hp's out there:  PLEASE prove that

> I'm wrong.

> 

> The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

> It's not about dose, it's about trust.

> Curies forever.

> 

> Bill Lipton

> liptonw@dteenergy.com

> 

> Walter cofer wrote:

> 

> > ...  If personnel are consistently receiving doses

> below 500 mrem/yr, 10 CFR

> > Part 20 and equivalent state rad. protection

> standards allow you to

> > discontinue PM forthose individuals.  The workers'

> argument that swapping out

> > their badges is "difficult" is a weak one, but if

> you are encountering

> > problems with keeping

> > accurate dose records due to their unwillingness

> to follow simple badge use

> > and exchange procedures, then discontinuing badges

> for those workers may be

> > the way to go....

> 

> > Good luck!

> >

> > Walter Cofer, Program Consultant

> > FL Bureau of Radiation Control

> > Tallahassee, FL

> >

> > (Usual disclaimers apply to the above statement;

> I'm not speaking on behalf

> > of my agency...)

> >

> 

>

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=====

+++++++++++++++++++

"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."

Will Rogers



-- John

John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist

e-mail:  crispy_bird@yahoo.com



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