Re: What's It Worth?

[DOUG TURNER <turners@earthlink.net>]

I guess I've kept quiet long enough.  In my opinion HP certification has a
low pass rate to maintain a barrier to entry. I doubt that 95% of the
certified HP's could repass the exam without months of serious study. I
believe there is even language in the certification that indicates practice
should be restricted to areas of competency.  The medical profession and
radiobiology have similar certification and caution that HP certification is
insufficient to demonstrate competency for mammography calibration, etc.

I have been an HP for over 30 years and have seen certified HP's pull
incredible technical and judgemental errors, and there have been a few
instances of financial dishonesty.  Some certified HPs have testified in
court for plaintiff's side deliberately distorting factual information.  A
few years ago the HP society started a ethics committee for the most
flagrant examples, but censures are few and far between (similar to M.D.'s?).

I considered joining the society and becoming certified a couple of decades
ago, and decided for me it was not woth the effort for the benefits.  The HP
journal seldom had practical articles dealing with Nuclear power - to fill
this void is why RPM magazine and others started up.  The society was not
educating the public on radiation risks and benefits. And management was not
financially supportive of membership dues, meeting for continung education
credits, etc. 

As far as salary, I have been the RPM at Oyster Creek, and TMI-2 during
defueling and my earnings were probably higher than most CHP's.  I am
currently unemployed due to utility downsizing and I believe more HP
downsizing is coming in utilities.  Some employers require certification for
employment candidates out of ignorance of what certification means, and the
mistaken belief that certification is protection against liability.  I
believe management will look at age and salary when considering who is
expendable rather that who is certified.

These are my Opinions... Doug Turner     

I have seen a certified H  At 12:18 PM 6/21/96 -0500, you wrote:
>>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
>
>
>