HP Tech vs RP Tech

[Kernwerker]

Hi folks!

Havent been online due to the fact that i have moved. My question is what is the difference between a hp tech and rp tech?
I remember seein this question previously here on the boards but i cant find it. I only remember it has to do if you work in goverment or commercial sites

Thanks in advance

[Atomic_Punk]

One starts with an "H" and the other starts with an "R"   No difference in job descriptions (though someone will find some reason to argue about it, I'm sure ).  Both titles are used at commercial sites where the DOE prefers to call them "RCT"s or Radiological Control Techs.

[Kernwerker]

Whats the history behind the many phrases for one job description?

[Austria]

As I recall from something I read long ago.......it seems that someone decided that "Radiation Protection" sounded a bit too scary for Joe Average Citizen. This was back in the days when it was believed we could use atomic energy or power for everything from electricity, to powering aircraft, to strip mining, etc....the ol' "Atoms for Peace" era.

Anyways, it was decided somewhere along the line to use the name "Health Physics" as it sounded fiendlier and gave it the following definition:

"The art and science dedicated to the protection of mankind and his environment from the harmful effects of radiation."  (or something pretty close)

[Rennhack]

Originally the field was called Radiation Protection, then in 1942 Health Physics was added as another title for the same thing.  Power Plants use one or the other, and DOE (Goverment) sites use "Radiological Control".  See the birth of Health Physics term below:



The First Fifty Years of Radiation Protection
by Ronald L. Kathern and Paul L. Ziemer
http://www.umich.edu/~radinfo/introduction/50yrs.htm

It was the Manhattan District of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the name "health physics" was born. The leaders of the Manhattan District, in the summer of 1942, asked Ernest O. Wollan, a cosmic ray physicist at the University of Chicago, to form a group to study and control radiation hazards. Thus, Wollan was the first to bear the title of health physicist. He was soon joined by Carl G. Gamertsfelder, recently graduated physics baccalaureate, and Herbert M. Parker, the noted British-American medical physicist. By mid 1943, six others had been added: Karl Z. Morgan, James C. Hart, Robert R. Coveyou, O.G. Landsverk, L.A. Pardue and John E. Rose.

Within the Manhattan District, the name "health physicist" seems to have been derived in part from the need for secrecy (and hence a code name for radiation protection activities) and the fact that there was a group of mostly physicists working on health related problems. Thus, their activities included development of appropriate monitoring instruments, developing physical controls, administrative procedures, monitoring areas and personnel, radioactive waste disposal-- in short, the entire spectrum of modern day radiation protection problems. It was in the Manhattan District that many of the modern concepts of protection were born, including the rem unit, which took into account the biological effectiveness of the radiation, and the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) for inhaled radioactivity. In deed, it was in the Manhattan District that modern day radiation protection effects, born in the early days of x-ray and radium, realized their maturity.

[Already Gone]

The only real difference exists in the minds of those who paid huge money to get a degree in Health Physics.

[SloGlo]

The only real difference exists in the minds of those who paid huge money to get a degree in Health Physics.

'n dem what werk for the unemployment departments.  'cause iffen yer an hp, yinz can't apply fer rad tech jobs.  'n vicy versa.  i even had a resume on file wit dem that quoted 'n compiled the job title dictionary daffynitions for hp, rct, 'n rt.  'n den dey woodent let me apply fer jobs that wanted a bs degree.  of course, i told them that i had enuff science in my background that i wuz shur i cood accurately place my resume in a portion of his anatomy of my choosing.....!

[atomicarcheologist]

It used to be that an HP technician was thought to have more leeway in a given job evolution, while a RP technician was more procedurally driven.  However, it must be noted that this distinction has been blurred over the years.

[halflifer]

In the DOE world, we are almost always called "RCT's" (Radiological Controls Technicians). In the commercial world, we may be "HP's" or "HP Techs", or "Rad Con Techs" or "Rad Safety Techs" etc., etc., etc.
There is, however, no difference in the job based on the title. Differences are based on the location of the work and the licensee.

[Eightmile]

I'm a little late in the game and I feel silly for asking... but I'm correct in understanding there is no difference between HP/RP and RCT?  When banging my head and trying to create my resume, I was told that HP isn't generally used (as is kinda what's been said here) but for some reason - and I don't know why - I was under the impression that RCT was different, in regards to specific training or qualifications or whatnot.

I ask because, like a dimwit, I assumed the above, and ignored job postings for RCTs.  Of course, most of them also wanted L or Q clearances and/or HAZ(pick your acronym ending here).

[alphadude]

well two sets of regulations do cause some difference.  also the regulators DOE/NNSA vs NRC.  Not to mention alpha world (DOE) vs gamma world (cesium and cobalt /NRC).  also ANSI 3.1 vs CORE. tranistion from HP to RCT relatively easy.   RCT to HP is a little edgy. (a lot of rcts have never seen a 1000R filter hic and a lots of HPs have never seen 40,000 DAC rooms. )