Re: What's It Worth?

[bflood@SLAC.Stanford.EDU (Bob Flood)]

>In the following discussion the assumption is made that the non-CHP if fully
>qualified and is performing the job in a professional and knowledgeable
>manner.  That may not be the case.  The employer may be taking the
>opportunity afforded by down sizing to apply the appropriate criteria for
>the position and require the requisite training, experience and
>certifications.  Just because one has been doing a job does not mean that
>he/she is fully qualified to do the job.

An employer that keep an unqualified person in a position doing
unsatisfactory work for an extended period, and sees downsizing as an
opportunity to correct the situation is unlikely to survive. Idiot-proofing
begins in the Personnel Office. Most long-term employees (in any profession)
are judged to be competent by their employers; otherwise, some measures
would have been taken to change the situation (firing, training, retraining,
making life miserable enough to get the employee to leave, etc.).

>
>My general sense is that certifications and licensure will become MANDATORY
>in the future.  We see this in the medical and engineering fields at the
>present time.

Actually, in the HMO arena, certification may become obsolete. HMOs are
looking for low-bid MDs, not high priced specialists, and certified MDs have
that image. And the overwhelming majority of the engineers I know are not
certified, but well employed.

>however, if one is fully qualified to do Health Physics and is doing a
>competent job then certification should be rather easy to obtain.
>

Most HPs are somewhat specialized, and some, like myself, are very
specialized. I have spent a great deal of my time in dosimetry, and know
little about radwaste shipping regulations, radiochemistry as it applies to
medical uses of radioactive material, etc. The comprehensive nature of
certification means that requiring CHP as a credential for my job requires
expert knowledge in topics that are irrelevent  to operating a quality
dosimetry program. Hopefully, businesses will not invest extra money in
requiring unrelated qualifications.

Nevertheless, requiring certification as a job qualification MAY become
extensive not because there is a real NEED, but because there are so many
HPs available in a shrinking market that employers CAN require
certification. In other words, it's easy. It used to be that an employer
would advertise "CHP required" or "preferred," not get any CHP applicants,
and end up hiring a non-CHP for the job. The job market is too small to
expect that any more. If jobs become so few that employers have the luxury
of considering only CHPs, CHP will become a ticket to a job, but will
probably not be worth additional money. The economic reality - supply and
demand - too much supply these days and not enough demand. It's a buyer's
market.

Bob Flood
Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are mine alone.
(415) 926-3793
bflood@slac.stanford.edu