The 2007 monetary value for the NRRPT on an hourly basis?

[mconner51]

I have been tasked with coming up with an houly value for rewarding technicians who pass the NRRPT. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[retired nuke]

Back when I passed as a roadie, Bruce gave $1/hr to those that had passed it, plus reimbursed the cost of the exam. Heck, I got a call at home congratulating me from the Blue Office...
Now as a house tech, there is no increase, but they will reimburse the cost of the annual dues...but I think my company pays more for the contractors that are NRRPT.....

Hey, at least I'm home at night with the family....

[RDTroja]

That is a subject for great debate and it depends on what you use your technicians for (how much 'skill of the craft' you are counting on.)

Some plants use contract techs to meet minimum requirements (warm bodies) only and all of the real HP work is done by the house. Some plants virtually turn over containment to the contractors and depend heavily on the talents of the technicians to keep them out of trouble. Naturally an NRRPT tech is more valuable in the latter situation than the former. Some of the value of an NRRPT tech is not having to worry about them spending a week in training and then failing the screening test and having to be replaced (or operating short.) The most I have gotten for being NRRPT was an additional $2/hr ($23 vs $21 in 2003) from Exelon. One plant I worked in didn't even recognize NRRPT as a way of exempting the NEU (or whatever it is now called) test... I had to take the test 'cold' because I was not told I would need to take it.

If you value the knowledge that NRRPT techs (should) bring to your site I think about a 10% premium is fair... if you are going to rely heavily on the NRRPT techs and expect them to 'carry' others, then a little more would be appropriate. If you are going to have them working in HP staff positions then you need a 'HP Specialist' (or some similar title) position and that should pay more (maybe 25% to 50% depending on the duties.)

Of course I pulled most of these numbers out of thin air to start the debate. I am willing to bet that others will have different opinions.

[Already Gone]

I know I'm repeating myself, but it has been a while.
The most I ever got for NRRPT was $1/hr.  I would have gotten the same $1/hr anyway because I had been a Sr. HP for greater than 7 years.
Since it costs money to maintain your NRRPT registration (Dues, memberships to HP Society or ANS, CEU's) and I never missed a job for not being current, and I got the same money as a current NRRPT tech, and some sites don't care if you are current as long as you have the certificate, I let it lapse 13 years ago.  As far as I'm concerned it is worthless - monetarily.  However, I am speaking as an employee.
Speaking as an employer, I wouldn't hire an HP who didn't have it or couldn't get it.  That changes things considerably.
In my opinion, it is worth at least $5/hr above any other tech on your list - including the ones who have 7+ years of experience.  So, if you are paying an additional $1/hr for 7 year Seniors, you should be paying at least $6/hr more for NRRPT with 7 years.  No NRRPT registered tech should be getting less than $30/hr.

[hamsamich]

5 more bucks an hour!  I would surely get my NRRPT then.  Like Beer says though, I don't think many people get more money with it.  I've heard many techs complain about that.  Every once in a while you hear of a 50 cent or 1$ an hour kicker.....

[TENN-1]

From the house mouse position at Cook: Those of us that have the NRRPT don't receive anything extra for it.  The company does mantain the membership dues and does keep track of the accredited training hours. They also pay the costs associated with obtaining it: casses, testing fees, etc...

There has been some talk of a new requirement being introduced for Sr. RPTs needing the NRRPT to maintain their position within the company, but that talk has faded somewhat with the RPM leaving. We shall see what tomorrow brings. Extra money would be nice.

[illegalsmile]

The NRRPT SHOULD be worth about 25%, but there seems to be a gap in the process because I've seen several NRRPT Techs who aren't worth standard tech pay, including one who wanted to shut down the process of removing the cavity lights from the water because one of the ropes read 4Rad/Hr. If it were a certification that truly identifies superior techs, it would be worth something. As it is, it's just a trivia test.

[Brett LaVigne]

Unforunately for the road tech. there is no incentive what so ever to get it.  It costs too much money and time to outweigh the few places you can get an extra buck.  I don't however think that studying and passing that exam makes you a better tech.  What it does do is show you that an individual has the initiative to reach for more knowlege and mental capacity to learn and retain information related to the field.  This to me would make someone a better "bet" for employment when all you have is a resume sitting in front of you.

When it comes right done to it, it is about the greenbacks and I won't be spending any of them on this certification until it is financially in my favor. 

[Tech A]

Just proves you can pass another test  but doesnt prove your a better tech.  ( NEU, meter, FFD,)  So it means nothing and that means zero monetary dollars.

[RDTroja]

Just proves you can pass another test  but doesnt prove your a better tech.  ( NEU, meter, FFD,)  So it means nothing and that means zero monetary dollars.

Sounds like someone that never took the test.

It does not mean nothing. Granted, it does not guarantee that you will be a better tech, but it is an indication that you know a bit about your profession. Some very good techs have never taken the test and some very good techs have taken it and not passed... but someone that has taken and passed the test has proven that he/she has a desire to learn his/her craft and a willingness to take the time to improve themselves in their chosen field. There is no guarantee that someone that has passed the NRRPT won't fail another test, but it is a good indication that the individual has a better chance to pass the NEU (NUF - I remembered what it was called) test. That makes for a better bet to get in the door and a better bet to know more... no guarantees. At a technician level it is not absolutely necessary to know the information that the NRRPT tests... but it helps. At a higher level than technician (ALARA, Rad Engineer, HP Specialist) it certainly is a benefit.

Having said all of that I would take one good technician with practical experience and a good work ethic over 10 NRRPT techs that want to play cards all night. Also, there is nothing in the NRRPT that tests whether or not you can read a meter, take a representative smear survey, cover a primary valve breach or figure out what to do when your world dissolves in front of you with a jumper in the S/G Bowl. The technician that knows his stuff, can think on his feet, and actually likes doing his job is the most valuable and only your reputation will let people know if you are one of them. Unfortunately no one has discovered a good way to measure and reward that combination without any favoritism... and the 'good old boy' network is alive and well in Nuclear Power.

[PWHoppe]

Just proves you can pass another test  but doesnt prove your a better tech.  ( NEU, meter, FFD,)  So it means nothing and that means zero monetary dollars.

How exactly does one study for the FFD   

RDTroja...great response couldn't have said it better myself   

[Tech A]

Why doesnt a person who received a degree in health physics make more money?  People are talking about NRRPT but it seems it would be harder to show knowledge in all fields than just being able to pass a test that only tests RP technical questions.  As far as passing the FFD test its a lot harder than passing the meter test.  And as far as helping in higher up positions (alara) its the same thing, experience matters and the good ole boy systems lives there more than any other except maybe supervision.  Trodja is right in 99.9 percent of his post, but an NRRPT degree doesnt matter in the world of a contractor because it doesnt get you more money than what its worth.   Now being an NRRPT tech does show that the person does have initiative to make themselves more knowledgeable, but so does a college grad.  I can tell you what my degree means to me, self satisfaction.  But to the company, nothing.  When talking about is the NRRPT degree worth it after the cost of annual dues and all IM sure its not, but how bout the guy getting the health physics degree, was it worth it after tuition, rent , books and living on oodles of noodles?  Sure it says I had initiative, but that went out the window when Im sitting across the Alara tech who was a junior 6 months ago telling me  how to do things.  Again BeerCourt is very knowledgeable and most of all Trodja, but being an NRRPT or college degree in the contractor world means nothing espicially when the people who hand out checks believe they are  worth nothing.

[Already Gone]

Because a Liberal Arts degree is worthless in this field.  RP Technical knowledge is directly applicable to doing RP work.  Note also that NRRPT requires five years of experience prior to taking the exam.  It requires the recommendation of a professional who is either a RRPT or CHP.
If people are just signing those forms and not verifying the experience, then it is their lack of integrity that is failing the system.  Frankly, being truly qualified to TAKE the NRRPT makes you a better tech than many.
I agree that taking the NRRPT exam is no guarantee of performance in the field.  It is merely an indication that an individual posesses the technical knowledge that a Senior Technician should posses.

[Tech A]

I think a liberal arts degree is worthless in the RP field also ,except it does show people you have to know how to read and write , but Im pretty sure almost all will agree with that.  Who has an liberal arts degree?

[Austria]

I think a liberal arts degree is worthless in the RP field also ,except it does show people you have to know how to read and write , but Im pretty sure almost all will agree with that.  Who has an liberal arts degree?

Years ago, a couple of Region III NRC inspectors I worked very closely with told me, "heck, most of us are just a bunch of otherwise unemployable liberal arts majors." when I asked what kind of degree you needed to get a job with them.

[Tech A]

Well then Beercourt and I stand corrected about the liberal arts degree.

[wlrun3@aol.com]

Unforunately for the road tech. there is no incentive what so ever to get it.  It costs too much money and time to outweigh the few places you can get an extra buck.  I don't however think that studying and passing that exam makes you a better tech.  What it does do is show you that an individual has the initiative to reach for more knowlege and mental capacity to learn and retain information related to the field.  This to me would make someone a better "bet" for employment when all you have is a resume sitting in front of you.

When it comes right done to it, it is about the greenbacks and I won't be spending any of them on this certification until it is financially in my favor. 

National Registration of Radiation Protection Technologists
Full Reimbursement of the exam fee if NRRPT exam is passed. Bartlett also offers 50% off textbooks and 25% off correspondence course by Dr. Dan Gollnick.

[hamsamich]

pretty much any degree from any accredited college will help somewhat. even a psychology degree.

getting back on toepic, maybe not help with NRRPT $/hour, but I've seen some jobs require or prefer NRRPT, that is worth something.

[biloxoi blues]

Seems to me the price one would pay for an NRRPT would be dependent on the plant.  Our contracting companies dont really care unless the plant their staffing wants them, but of course there are techs that are requested and they dont get anymore money either.  If for some reason they need NRRPT's then paid them more if none will come for the price your giving.  To put a price of five dollars more is crazy, if thats the case why are there NRRPT techs next to me for the same wages?   When I get to a plant I cant tell the difference between an NRRPT or any other techs.  I can tell how some slugs got their positions, but other than that we all look the same in yellow.  There are a bunch of ways to be a good tech, but NRRPT is just away of dressing up your resume just like being a college (health physics) degree holder.  It does get your foot in the door and takes your resume to the top when there are unknown techs applying for the same job, but is it worth an hourly amount?  It shows they have some smarts, but it doesnt mean their worth more money.  If you really think your worth more than the other techs then dont take the same wages.  I think Im the best unemployed tech there is, but that doesnt make me more money than the other unemployed techs.  My view is only from the contracting side and they might not reflect the views of my company.

[wlrun3@aol.com]

   "Candidates must be active NRRPT certified or a very recent Hanford Returnee with updated Training records."

   Posts of this type are common.

   On the commercial nuclear power side, over half of outage RP Tech positions offer incentive pay for registry.





   

[Already Gone]

I think a liberal arts degree is worthless in the RP field also ,except it does show people you have to know how to read and write , but Im pretty sure almost all will agree with that.  Who has an liberal arts degree?

I'm happy to see that you edited your post.
While a Liberal Arts degree is (for all practical purposes) worthless to the HP profession.  The attainment of one requires certain qualities that are desirable in a field which requires the ability to think.
For this reason, having a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree is one consideration in ranking qualifications.  In certain professions, a BS in any field is as good as an AS in the field in question.

But a degree isn't the same thing as a comprehensive examination at the technician level.
A BS in Health Physics might make you more qualified to write ALARA plans or RP procedures.  It should further one's qualifications toward porfessional level employment.  Technicain level employment requires a certain amount of training - some of it practical and some theoretical.  The achievement of this level of training is measured by the NRRPT Exam.  Any further theoretical education in the field is not useful at the technician level.

Let me stretch this example.  An MD would be the person you want to treat your ulcer.  But a Gastroenterologist is totally unqualified to splint, brace, and backboard you if you are injured in an auto accident.  EMT training is the appropriate level of training for this job.  If you are an EMT-P (what we call a Paramedic in New York) you are far more qualified to stabilize and transport to a trauma center someone who is bleeding heavily with compound fractures and tightness of the abdomen than Dr. Fitzglove, who fixed your sore belly.
However, a trauma surgeon takes over at that point.
Likewise, there is a certain level of training and experience that makes a technician better qualified than a Health Physicist to cover a valve breach.  There are distinctions, even in our field, between the technician and the professional.  There is such a thing as overqualified - which doesn't mean that you are more qualified than you need to be: it means being qualified for a different job altogether.
So, a degree isn't going to be worth more money for a technician in many cases.  However, I would consider it a major plus in hiring a tech if he or she were going to be doing higher-level work or supervising others.  And it would be almost a necessity in working at a professional level.  I would probably give it at least as much weight as NRRPT when hiring a tech.

[Tech A]

So are you saying your not a complete tech if you havent passed the NRRPT?  Short answer is appreciated

[hamsamich]

i think what he is saying is, if you were going to throw a dart at a board made with NRRPT techs and a board made with all other techs, the chance of a dart hitting a "good" tech might be higher for the NRRPT board.  I think he is probably right.

[Tech A]

i think what he is saying is, if you were going to throw a dart at a board made with NRRPT techs and a board made with all other techs, the chance of a dart hitting a "good" tech might be higher for the NRRPT board.  I think he is probably right.   

Just a question on the NRRPT do they give out grades or do they just tell you pass or fail?  So passing the NRRPT makes a person a better tech and a degree in health physics doesnt.  Next thing will be hearing is how great navy nuke techs are.

[RADBASTARD]

I think that some off your best techs came up through the ranks of deconners with no degee's.

Also I have seen people who has passed the NAACP and are navy super intellegent and book smart that couldn't Dose rate a bag of trash!

I got my training from salem and the road and ,I agree with biloxi blues we are the best unemployed techs that should be getting more money for doing all those Tech A jobs ,and those other techs making the same as us sitting control points or working the turbine and have nrrpt degrees or navy nukes.

I think the companies should keep track of the jobs of difficulty a tech does on a check list.
The more difficult the job ,the more you get paid over time so the slugs,nrrpt and navy nuke doesn't mean squat.
It's bassed on proformance.