Re[2]: The Health Physics Profession

[Steven.Rima@DOEGJPO.COM (Steven Rima)]

     While I agree somewhat with Bill's comments below, I don't think the 
     analogy is quite appropriate. I think the question should be: would 
     you undergo surgery from someone who does not have a medical DEGREE, 
     but does have a BOARD CERTIFICATION in the appropriate medical 
     discipline? This changes the question considerably, doesn't it?
     
     As with Sandy, I have worked with many excellent non-degreed HPs, just 
     as I have worked with excellent degreed ones. On the flip side, I have 
     also worked with terrible HPs, both with and without degrees (and even 
     a few bad ones with CHP behind their name.)
     
     While board certification is certainly not for everyone, nor should 
     everyone need it, it does imply a level of competence. If you go to a 
     lawyer who passed the bar exam, do you ask, or even care, if they have 
     a degree? Probably not. This same analogy applies to lots of 
     professions with licensure/certification.
     
     I don't believe that every "professional" HP should have a degree 
     and/or certification, and I strongly disagree that 
     non-degreed/non-certified HPs are not "professionals."
     
     Steven D. Rima, CHP
     Manager, Health Physics and Industrial Hygiene
     MACTEC-ERS, LLC
     steven.rima@doegjpo.com
     
     Non-standard disclaimer: The above is my opinion, I'm proud of it and 
     I hereby claim every word!


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: The Health Physics Profession
Author:  LIPTONW@detroitedison.com at Internet
Date:    9/11/97 10:23 AM


     
--Boundary-6282964-0-0
     
While I agree that formal education does not provide assurance that an 
individual is a "professional" health physicist, it is, with a few exceptions, 
a prerequisite.  Would you undergo surgery from someone who does not have a 
medical degree, but claims to have: "that inner instinct, desire and drive and 
the  
ability to identify, evaluate, formulate a plan and most importantly,  
to execute it efficiently and effectively"?  If anyone can do "professional" 
health physics work, then we're not a profession (and I've wasted a lot of 
time!).   
     
The opinions expressed are strictly mine. 
Here's to a risk free world, and other fantasies. 
     
Bill Lipton 
liptonw@detroitedison.com 
     
     
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