Re: A Comment re: "Senior" HP Personnel

[lee_david_w@lanl.gov (David W Lee)]

>Jim:  I also attended the Seattle annual HPS meeting.  I tend to agree with 
your observation, but I would couch it a bit differently.  While I did not 
attempt to quantify, to my admittedly observation, the vast majority of 
attendees that I saw seemed to be certified HP's; I saw a disturbingly small 
number of non-certified types.  This was disturbing to me because it seemed 
as if the annual HPS meeting is unable to attract the attendance of younger 
HP's.  To me, it is not a good omen that the annual HPS meeting should 
become viewed as primarily serving CHP's who need to obtain CEU's to 
maintain their certification.  It should also be noted that attendance at 
past annual HPS meetings has averaged in the 2000-2200 range.  This year, 
however, attendance was markedly down to the 1700 ballpark.  REGARDS  David

>     
>     Please allow me to "stir the pot" if I may.
>     
>     I attended the recent HPS Annual Meeting in Seattle
>     which was my first, and was very impressed with the
>     quality and quantity of the topics and discussions.
>     
>     There was one observation I made that I would like to
>     put forth and possibly open the floor for discussion.
>     
>     It seemed to me that there were a large percentage
>     of "senior" HPS members in attendance. By senior, I mean
>     persons who look to be prime candidates for a happy, enjoyable
>     retirement.
>     
>     Now, assuming that most of these folks are not already retired, 
>     wouldn't a solution to the current "dearth" of job openings in our 
>     profession be evident here ??
>     
>     Am I way off-base here ?
>     Is HP such a satisfying career that we all want to die with
>     a geiger in our hands ? or,
>     Is HP so "non-lucrative" that none of us can ever afford to retire ?
>     
>     Any Comments ?
>     
>     (BTW - I do not need a job, but I do know some younger people who do)
>     
>     Jim Presley
>
>
>
David W. Lee
Radiation Protection Policy
& Programs Analysis Group (ESH-12)
Los Alamos National Laboratory
PO Box 1663, MS K483
Los Alamos, NM  87545
Ph:  (505) 667-8085
FAX: (505) 667-9726