NRRPT

[mooseow]

Have you talked to Dr. Schrader at INEEL.  I know he has taught a prep course in the past.

[wayne_despain@yaho]

I don't know who can give the NRRPT class for less money than that.  Frankly, I'm not sure what the NRRPT is.  But if you let me know, and it is benificial to me(nuke MM1 getting out in April) I will have some operating capital to help out a group to go do it.  I woould really like to go back to southeast Idaho and work at the INEL because that is where I grew up.  So let me know what it is and we'll go from there.

[mostlyharmless]

What is the value of NRRPT? Is it worth it?

[JnyMac]

I guess it depends on who you ask.  I passed it in 1994.  I got a year added to my Sr. HP time to qualify me for my next level pay raise.  Bartlett at that time would pay you back for the entrance fee if you passed.  I also got 30 credit hours from Thomas Edison State College for the certificate.  IMAO it was worth it.  Study Golnick and get the sample questions for the NRRPT as well as the ABHP.  I went over them for about 6 months prior and had no problem with the test my first time out.  Hope this helps

Good Luck

[Rennhack]

If your goal is a power plant HP Tech, or a DOE RCT, then it' bennitits are there, but minimal.  If you are looking for a House job, a Supervisor, or ALARA/Rad Engineer job... It has many bennefits.  It opens doors for you.

[alphadude]

any time you subject yourself to a test of "what yer made of" its good. braggin rights, self worth and all that good stuff.  The NRRPT got me out of the "tech" catagory long time ago. so over the last 20 years i would say it added about $500 thousand or more to my total income.

[RDTroja]

On the "instant gratification" side, it will get you $1 or $2 and hour extra at some plants (e.g. Limerick). One outage at that rate pays for the test and the upkeep. Good bargain. Also buys a bit of respect and some 'benefit of the doubt' from people that may have an influence on who gets what job during an outage. Took it in 1991 and glad I did. So far I have never had to take any HP skills tests like the old Northeast Utilities test. That earns some peace of mind when arriving at a plant for work -- even knowledgable people can blow the NEU test on a bad day, and not having to take it makes 'training week' more pleasant.

On top of all that, you never know what you might learn just from studying for it.

[dbandcjs]

I have a friend that passed NRRPT last year and told me to go ahead and do it.  I am just going back into HP, 8 year Navy RCT/ELT.  I have also looked into CHP.  I have been told that the NRRPT and Part 1 CHP are similar.  I have my BS from Thom Ed. and I plan of making a career of HP. 

Should I take the NRRPT or just wait until I have the required experience and take the CHP part 1 and later part 2.  I have already been accepted to work as a site RCT at KAPL so I don't really need NRRPT for a foot in the door.

Thanks,

Chuck

[Roll Tide]

Get your NRRPT as soon as possible, it will make a good progression history for NRRPT then CHP 1 then CHP 2 rather than a bunch of stuff at one time!

[Roll Tide]

Most commercial and DOE sites have given the exam in the past, but there aren't as many taking them in a given year. I work Browns Ferry, and drove past Sequoyah and Watts Bar on my way to Oak Ridge to take my exam. I was the only person that took the test there, the other was a no-show!

NRRPT will have to give you the info on where they are testing this time. There is a lot to study, and you need to be conversant on dpm vice uuCi as the base units for contamination.

I studied the books listed on the site (Gollnick was the best, Cember next best, the MOE handbook online here was best for DOE introduction.)

[UncaBuffalo]

Another update :

FINALLY got A.C.E. to send a transcript...they do NOT communicate well, so make sure you check back with them when you feel they should have the paperwork from NRRPT.

[Roll Tide]

FINALLY got A.C.E. to send a transcript...they do NOT communicate well, so make sure you check back with them when you feel they should have the paperwork from NRRPT.

5 months!
It took as long to get the NRRPT transcripted as it would take to get the credits by attendance!

Thanks for the info; and congratulations on a payoff for your perseverance.

[UncaBuffalo]

5 months!
It took as long to get the NRRPT transcripted as it would take to get the credits by attendance!

Thanks for the info; and congratulations on a payoff for your perseverance.

To be fair to A.C.E. - the first slowdown was with the N.R.R.P.T. office.  Apparently they don't process many A.C.E. requests.  When I sent them the request, they signed it and mailed it back to me.   I had to send it back to them so they could send it to A.C.E. directly.  Make sure you accompany your request with explicit instructions that the forms be sent to A.C.E. after they are signed.

Also, I ignored the whole situation thru Christmas, so could have saved a month if I had pushed it during the holidays.

[alphadude]

hmm mine was processed in three weeks but that was a while back.

[UncaBuffalo]

hmm mine was processed in three weeks but that was a while back.

Yeah, Alphadude, IF I hadn't had the mix-up with the NRRPT office...and IF I had pushed over the holidays...and IF A.C.E. had communicated once they had processed the request, three weeks would have been about the right processing time.





And NOW my school has pulled the old 'bait-and-switch' and awarded all 30 credits as lower division...worthless to me since I already had a bazillion lower-level credits...

My director is helping me draft an appeal, but....  :/

[UncaBuffalo]

WOO-HOO!!!

My appeal was successful!

Got the 24 upper-division credits as recommended by NRRPT/ACE.  Now only need an extra semester to turn my associate's into a bachelor's. 

Thanks to Bartlett (for paying for me to take NRRPT test)...Thanks to Clinton Power Station staff (for helping us study for NRRPT)...Thanks to NRRPT & ACE (for providing the documentation to my school).   AND (especially), thanks to 'HiCountry' for the information and encouragement to get me started on my credit-quest.

[Roll Tide]

It is good that you give credit where it is due. I do also: Congratulations for sticking it out and not taking "NO!" for an answer. And belated congratulations on the NRRPT itself. 

[Rad Gal]

I took the class with radware and you get the cd info before hand.  I studied before with the cd then took the class right before the test.   You might want to take the class then study for a while on your own after. You really need to study for this. Tom and Dixie (Radware) were excellent trainers and I couldn't have passed it without them.  The class and cd are both well worth it.  Many places give you a raise when you pass.

[UncaBuffalo]

A little postscript for anyone thinking of pursuing college credits for their NRRPT:

I graduated last week after two THOROUGHLY enjoyable years of college.  The past couple of years have been some of the best of my life.  If you have a chance to use your NRRPT to springboard yourself into a degree, DO IT!  I promise you will enjoy the ride.

And if you don't have your NRRPT, but are considering college, look into the possibilities of taking the NRRPT test first and applying those credits to your degree.  It saved me a whole year...

[refarnam]

UncaBuffalo,
Congrats, glad it all worked out and you were successful!

[alphadude]

good deal!!  just as a side note- FEMA online training (its free) can be used to get credit hours from a college in Maryland.  They are lower level but you can't beat the cost.  Its $64 per hour to apply to the college.

[radwastetrainer]

Bought the CD. Well worth the money. Used it for practice. Has many options like time testing, focus on one area that you maybe "weak" in, etc. It opened my eyes to area of study that I needed help in. Then I studied the Gollineck and MOE manual. Passed the first try.

Highly recommend it!

[UncaBuffalo]

Okay, so here's the next question:

From the NRRPT Handbook:

For those students who already possess a baccalaureate degree, the upper division credit recommendations can be considered for graduate credit

What are the odds that I can 'Double-Dip' and use NRRPT towards my Masters, too?

[alphadude]

I think those have to be 400 series classes for your masters.

[wlrun3@aol.com]

   ...idaho state university, master of science degree in hazardous waste management...

[snowman]

There ain't a legit, accredited university in this country that'll give someone 30 semester hours of college credit for passing the NRRPT!! NO HOW-NO WAY!!! Was this one of those phony diploma mills that gives out degrees for life experiences???

[wlrun3@aol.com]

There ain't a legit, accredited university in this country that'll give someone 30 semester hours of college credit for passing the NRRPT!! NO HOW-NO WAY!!! Was this one of those phony diploma mills that gives out degrees for life experiences???

           ...Thomas Edison State College...
   ...license/certification...semester hours credit...

   Navy Basic Nuclear Power School (after 1961)** 41
 
   Navy Qualifications Beyond Basic   
   Nuclear Power School 3-20
 
   Nuclear Regulatory Commission Reactor Operator or   
   Senior Reactor Operator License** 27

   National Registry of Radiation Protection   
   Technologists (NRRPT®)† 30

[Marlin]

There ain't a legit, accredited university in this country that'll give someone 30 semester hours of college credit for passing the NRRPT!! NO HOW-NO WAY!!! Was this one of those phony diploma mills that gives out degrees for life experiences???

Does that mean the ACE listings are not acceptable to accredited colleges?

[UncaBuffalo]

There ain't a legit, accredited university in this country that'll give someone 30 semester hours of college credit for passing the NRRPT!! NO HOW-NO WAY!!! Was this one of those phony diploma mills that gives out degrees for life experiences???

Boise State University. 

I realize we are only famous for our football, so guess you will have to decide where we fit into your statement! 

[UncaBuffalo]

   ...idaho state university, master of science degree in hazardous waste management...

Do I take this to mean you did get some post-grad credits for NRRPT?  By coincidence, ISU is the school I am looking at entering the graduate program at, so if you have already received credits, that would be a good sign.