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Answer to Question #4800 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"Category: Radiation Safety Careers — Academic Education Opportunities The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field: Q
I have a BS in biology with a minor in chemistry and have a full
year of undergrad physics. I now have four years of experience working
in the health physics field. I am employed by a large
university/hospital; I am responsible for assuring that licensees in
research are effectively administering their respective radiation
safety programs in lab. I also monitor exposures from patients
receiving low-dose therapies in-house, on the regular nursing floors.
Considering my experience, what other opportunities are available to
me? I do not feel that I would be able to handle health physics
coursework and a full-time job. I would like to have more
certifications, but I don't know where to start to look for those that
I would be able to obtain without going back to a formal education
setting. Please advise.
A
Your problem is not unique. Unfortunately there are not many options. If your employer is willing, you could attend a number of specialized continuing education courses. These would certainly provide you some practical information; however, you can expect that they will be on the expensive side and they may not provide the credentials that I think you are after. There are a few standard Internet programs available. I understand these programs well, but it is hard for me to either recommend or denounce such efforts . . . caveat emptor! Alternately, there are a few programs that may be able to provide Internet II broadband courses with essentially two-way real-time communication. This is a much higher quality product. These are broadcast from institution to institution. Perhaps you might be able to take advantage of something like this. These work best if your institution has a small group of like-minded individuals. Idaho State University can undertake this technology, but it is not well advertised. Perhaps you are most interested in a strong set of credentials which signify appropriate academic preparation in the discipline. If this is the case, you may have to take a short leave of absence from your present job and go to graduate school. The fortunate thing is that most graduate programs can support students by providing tuition and a stipend. Although these types of offers are not going to make you rich, they do prevent starvation. The stipend actually varies greatly in magnitude but in some locations where the cost of living is not too bad, they really can lead to a comfortable temporary arrangement. It is not unheard of to have married graduate students with children seeking degrees at my institution. It appears the issue is commitment. If you are truly motivated to
obtain the credentials then you may have to make some hard decisions.
Unfortunately, as I stated at the beginning of this response, there are
not many options available. I encourage you to put forth the efforts to
obtain the appropriate credentials as this will provide you much
greater career opportunity and most likely a better income. I wish you
the best of luck in this endeavor. If you would like to speak to a
program director of one of the nation's academic programs please
consider the following link: http://hps.org/documents/edrefbook.pdf.
Answer posted on 22 September 2005. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.
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