Work schedule while in training for NLO or SRO

[ChiefRocscooter]

Being optimistic, what are the work hours like for a NLO when they 1st start?  How soon till shift work starts/ is days to starts/ any overtime early on (more concerned about required hours vice pay for studying)

OK same questions but for SRO instead?

I know it is going to be a little different from place to place but just looking to get idea of what work life will be when I start this new career.

Rob

[Fermi2]

Typically for an NLO I'd say you'll be in the training program about a year, 14 months on the outside. TVA is quite a bit longer but I believe we have to much no value added stuff in our NLO Program and should be working towards reducing it.

So I'll give you my best shot..

3 weeks of general training. This will include your General Employee Training, Radworker, Respirator, anything else the facility determines to be general in nature. This is typically 8 hours M-F with a half hour unpaid lunch for a 8.5 hour day.

4 weeks on shift familiarization time. The NLO will rotate with a shift.

5 Months Theory and Systems Training. Theory will be 3 to 4 weeks. The rest will be systems training, some Admin training, and Tagout Training. This is typically M-F 8 hour days with a half hour unpaid lunch. I've also seen it done M-Th 10 hour days with a half hour unpaid lunch.

After that you report to shift and rotate with a shift for quals.


SRO Depends on the Utility and how many units it has on the site in which you are employed. Here's a typical schedule.

During GFE (Theory) M-F 8 hours with a half hour unpaid lunch.

Systems Same as above though I've seen M-Th with a half hour unpaid lunch with 10 hours of class.

General Operating Procedures/Abnormal and Emergency Procedures: Th-Sunday 10 hour days with a half hour unpaid lunch. This is due to simulator availability. My former utility utilized a backshift shedule in lieu of weekends. When possible they even worked the ILO guys into the normal week. At a dual unit site this is almost impossible.

License Prep (all material is taught, now its just drills) Usually the same schedule as for GOP Training.

Onshift Time: Rotating either 8 or 12 hour shifts with an Operating Crew.

Usually neither group is authorized OT with the following exception: During outages sometimes training stops and trainees assist qualified operators at the plant. They'll usually get at least 6 12s during this period (and are subsequently ruined for any further classes later down the line ) . Also if you are on 12 hour shifts at least two shifts a month are of 4 days for a total of 48 hours, at least part of this is time and a half if you are an NLO or a Union RO. If you're an SRO you just end up biting the bullet!

Hope this helps!

Hey did you get my email with my friend Billys email address?

Mike

[ChiefRocscooter]

Yes I did and thanks, hav'nt done anything with it yet as I had long weekend then CDO yesterday and was wiped today (makes for long day).  Will send him E-mail tomorrow.

Thanks for the breakdown, yes it helps some to help my wife understand what I am looking at doing.  I have a 9th grader and 5th grader so we were wondering what home life will be like (better than being gone for 6mos et al).  She also is wondering when I will have a steady schedule so she can decide what type of teaching position she might take.  She has masters in Spec ED, so she can pretty much get on with any school system due to increasing demand in Spec Ed, but worries about the home schedule with me on shift work.
You did not give a length of time for the SRO program any ideas? say for a 2 or 3 unit site? (I think my main two targets match these)

Thanks
 Rob

[Fermi2]

In another thread I posted the SRO timeline. I think it posted it within the last week.



http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,8877.msg46171.html#msg46171

Mike

[ChiefRocscooter]

Got it, thanks another great break down. I am going to look over the NRC test info than I will have some questions on that part

Rob

[Roll Tide]

License classes sometimes rotate to the backshifts or weekends in order to have the simulator available. Requal uses the simulator Monday-Thursday day shift typically.

Just thought I would warn you....

[Fermi2]

What Kirsten described is more inline with the industry norm and is almost identical to what I'm used to with the exception if my former emplyer started a NLO in July more often then not we'd expect them to be completely qualified by the next July. Some took longer, some did it earlier. Most ex Navy did it on the earlier side.

I'm not sure how it got the way it did at TVA but it takes way too long to get an NLO through the pipeline. It has nothing to do with the people, it's the way it's administratively handled.

There's another good reason there's not Instant ROs at Pilgrim. Technically it's illegal.

Mike

[flamatrix99]

I'm up at Pilgim (an Entergy Plant in Plymouth, Mass), training to be a NLO.  Our training program is a fair bit different from the TVA one described.
We started classroom training July 17, and will finish up on November 3.  M-F kind of work, 8 hour days (we actually are working 9 hour days, and taking alternate friday's off, but that's a class vote).  Then I'll go to on-shift training the beginning of November, where I rotate with the crew.  I should be qualified NLO by the end of March. 

Wow that is an awesome schedule. I am at Turkey Point and when I went through NLO training we started at the beginning of August and came out on shift June of the following year. Then finally fully qualified all three watchstations by December. It was a long drawn out process.

We work 5 shifts 8 hour days with TONS of overtime.  I am talking like 1300 hours a year!  Good money but no life. We barely have enough people (RCO and NLO) to keep both units up and running. If we loose 2 more RCO's they will be screwed. We don't have enough people to go to 12's.

Oh life at the Point! These people couldn't manage a ham sandwich!

[Roll Tide]

We work 5 shifts 8 hour days with TONS of overtime.  I am talking like 1300 hours a year!  Good money but no life.

Since that is FP&L, that is 1300 hours extra worked. I only point that out because many places show the number of hours OT paid (which would mean only 650 hours doubletime worked)!

18 months would be overkill for a small site like Turkey Buzzard Point!

[Fermi2]

Roll Tides a Professional Trainee!!!!!! LOL. He's jumping from one training class to another.  I can't wait till he finally has more time in training than I do!!!

Mike

[Roll Tide]

I can't wait till he finally has more time in training than I do!!!

Mike

IF I had done my FP&L training at TVA speed, I would already be there! Of course, with me in the fast-track class and you in the "should we try to get another delay" class, I am not making any progress!

Last I heard, they were gonna pull out all the chairs and replace them with 3-legged stools in your classroom. 
As long as you're milking it, you might as well have the equipment.