Answer to Question #591 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Q

I hold degrees in emergency medical care (AS), fire and safety engineering technology (AA), arson investigation (BS), and safety and loss prevention(MS) and work as a safety consultant to the construction and insurance industries. Recently I have been asked (OFTEN) about health physics and my answer is "huh?" How do I find a training opportunity that will allow me to know more? I work in Quantico, Virginia, (starting February 2001) and would be willing to travel several hundred miles (say 300) to attend a class.

A

Health physics is the discipline responsible for the protection of humans and their environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation while providing for its beneficial uses. Health physics can be considered an allied health profession but as a discipline it is much more diverse than just an allied health profession as health physicists may be involved in many areas such as regulatory required radiation safety programs to nuclear engineering, medical physics, accelerator physics, ecology, public health, and radioactive waste management.

Health physics is a rigorous scientific discipline requiring fundamental abilities in mathematics minimally at the level of differential equations, chemistry including organic and biochemistry, physics with emphasis on radiation physics, and biology spanning the subdisciplines like anatomy, physiology, zoology, and botany. Health physics is perhaps the ideal profession for someone with many interests who has both strong analytical and communication skills. There are several levels of education which may prepare one for a career in health physics. One may wish to work as a health physics technician for example. This may be pursued with an associate degree and is fiscally rewarding. Active professionals in the discipline may have BS, MS, or PhD degrees. There are more than 20 institutions listed in our Health Physics Education Reference Book which offer degrees in the discipline of health physics or closely related areas. Within the list of institutions provided on the Health Physics Society Web site are descriptions of many programs and different options within those programs. There is great diversity within the programs listed.

I encourage anyone interested in the discipline to carefully review this information for the options most suited to your individual goals. If one is interested in becoming a health physics professional, it is recommended that your career path include the goal of becoming certified in the discipline by the American Board of Health Physics. Additionally, it is recommended while choosing an educational institution that careful consideration be given to academic programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology under the Applied Science Commission. 

Richard R. Brey, CHP