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RE: HP a Profession?
Just a quick comment from an Ex- Road Tech.
HP technicians and HP's are quite different from each other indeed. The
road tech gets the job done, usually efficiently and timely. Without the HP
road tech workhorse,( and workhorse meaning those poor souls that have to
work 72-84 hours per week to support two households - one on the road, and
one permanent location) not much would get accomplished beyond the expertise
of an (speaking of power plant environments of course). It has been a sad
state for road tech's in the last few years with job opportunity
diminishing greatly in the nuclear power plant industry - hovever, with all
of the cross training and hands on experience in Health Physics and
Industrial Hygiene a technician is exposed to, I would think that hiring an
HP technician for some of the jobs I've seen posted on RADSAFE would be just
as beneficial as to hiring a degreed HP. Most HP technicians I know and
have worked with are either NRRPT certified, or are working towards a degree
in a related field. The two go hand in hand, (tech's and HP's) and neither
should be disregarded as being a viable resource for jobs.
As for progressing from a junior HP to a CHP - I don't see how one would be
able to do that in a timely matter without some kind of intense formal
education - ie. degreed HP. Not every job in health physic requires such
an advanced education - which brings me back to the point - HP tech's and
HP's are two different but necessary distinctions in the health physics
world.
Clearly my own opinion.
> ----------
> From: LIPTONW@dteenergy.com[SMTP:LIPTONW@dteenergy.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 1999 6:02 AM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: Re: HP a Profession?
>
> Your message raises some important questions regarding HP Technicians
> versus
> HP's and education versus experience. I both agree and disagree with you.
>
>
> 1. Education is very important, including some formal education. The
> problem
> with experience alone, is that the test comes before the lesson. More
> than
> specifics, it's important to be able to handle situations where the
> conventional wisdom doesn't apply, and to think of creative solutions.
> Not
> all of this education has to be formal. It's as much an attitude and a
> willingness to devote the time to self study, as the formal, "bean
> counting".
>
> 2. Having said that, it's just as important to realize the limitations of
>
> education. As one of my teachers put it, "A degree is a hunting license,
> not
> a meal ticket." Knowing what you don't know is generally more important
> than
> knowing what you know, and a truly educated person is always learning.
>
> 3. I regret that you see a dichotomy between health physicists and health
>
> physics technicians. We're all in it, together. A good organization
> offers
> technicians the opportunity to move up; and, indeed, encourages this.
>
> The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
> It's not about dose, it's about trust.
>
> Bill Lipton
> liptonw@dteenergy.com
>
> You wrote:
>
> >As far as this profession goes, it is dying a fairly rapid death for the
> >make a distinction here because we seem to be getting confused
> >about Health Physicists and HP Techs.
>
> >They are separate professions and should be handled accordingly. You
> don't
> >need a college educated 'rocket scientist' to go into the field and
> perform
> HP
> >technician duties. What you need is a person that is experienced at
> working
> >with people, can take a survey and understand what it means, a person
> that
> can
> >be a:
> >cop...politician...jr scientist...weight
> lifter...EMT...auditor...instrument
> >tech...baby sitter...author...counselor...judge of character..
>
> >etc etc
>
> >But I keep seeing job listings on this list that are increasingly
> requiring
> a
> >degree for performing HP tech duties and that has me concerned because
> you
> >don't learn to be a HP tech in a classroom. You learn to be a junior HP
> tech
> >in a classroom.
>
> >Ron Shepherd
> >shephrl@gwsmtp.nu.com
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