Training
AURPO CERTIFICATE IN RADIATION PROTECTION
An AURPO initiative in collaboration with HSE & RPA 2000
This course has been developed by the Scottish Centre for
Occupational Safety and Health (SCOSH - University of Strathclyde) and the
Association of University Radiation Protection Officers (AURPO) in
collaboration with the Health and Safety Executive and RPA 2000.
Entry
criteria for the course are a University degree in a physical science or
acceptable alternative qualifications and relevant work experience.
Participants should currently be working as Radiation Protection
professionals.
The course is aimed at assisting people who aspire to be
Radiation Protection Advisers (RPAs) or just Radiation Protection Officers
(RPOs) to demonstrate the required core of knowledge and core competencies in
accordance with Annex 3 of the HSE Statement on RPAs. This
course does not make people RPAs, rather it is concerned with
assessing and demonstrating core competencies that will assist them if they go
on to seek accreditation as an RPA from an awarding body e.g. RPA
2000.
Course notes are benchmarked to the level of knowledge specified
by the HSE. Tutors will assist students if required in the creation
of a Portfolio of Practical Competencies as part of the accreditation process
to RPA 2000.
On successful completion of the eight assessed Course Units
and 5 assignments, a Certificate of Professional Development will be
awarded by the University of Strathclyde, recognising academic
achievement in accordance with the HSE basic syllabus.
There are eight Course Units that can be downloaded from WebCT.
These Units will more than cover the HSE's Basic Syllabus for the
RPA. The Course Units are released two at a time at 6 week
intervals:
| Unit |
Title |
| 1 |
Basis of Radiation Protection |
| 2 |
Basic Atomic
Physics and Radiation Biology |
| 3 |
Detection and
Measurement of Radiation |
| 4 |
Legislation |
| 5 |
Sources of
Radiation, Practices and Interventions |
| 6 |
Control of
Exposure |
| 7 |
Organisation of
Radiation Protection |
| 8 |
Other Relevant
Legislation and Practices |
Throughout the Units the authors have set various activities to
be carried out, and in some cases guidelines as to which should be
attempted and returned to your tutor for assessment.
Students must choose and submit five Assignments from a selection
available. These Assignments will be published on WebCT in early
February. They are designed to set scenarios where RPA advice is
required. The Assignments are not Unit-based. They
require the student to source and apply radiation protection information from
various Units. In this way the Assessor can gauge if the student
has sufficient academic knowledge and can apply it as a competent RPA.
Some candidates on this course are looking for assistance in
building a Portfolio for submission to RPA 2000, and guidance on
portfolio development will be given by tutors if required.
Portfolios should follow the latest RPA 2000 guide - http://www.srp-uk.org/rpa2000/
Basic contents should be:
- Contents list
- Summary section
- Cross-Reference Table 1 (Basic
knowledge syllabus) - covered by your AURPO Certificate
- Cross-Reference Table 2 (Practical
competencies) - see Annex C. (This is important as it allows
the RPA2000 Assessor to quickly and easily find supporting evidence in your
Portfolio.)
- Documented Evidence
- Authentication by suitable referees
(e.g. your tutor and your employer)
Assignments undertaken for the main part of the course may also
be used to demonstrate some practical competencies that could be useful in a
portfolio. Suitability in this case should be discussed with
tutors.
People may need experience outside their own establishment to
satisfactorily demonstrate all the competencies required by RPA 2000.
Individual need should be discussed with tutors. It may
be that someone within the course can assist and by helping could gain evidence
for his or her own Portfolio. Whatever work is submitted,
needs to be validated.
N.B. The RPA2000
accreditation procedure is currently under review and a revised procedure may
be issued early in 2007 - watch out for information posted on the RPA2000
webpage.
The course will involve up to 120 hours study depending on prior
knowledge and experience. Added to this will be the time to produce
5 assignments approx 2000 words each and suitably referenced. The
cost of doing the course in 2006/2007 is £1150. Every student
will be assigned a tutor who will be RPA accredited. The course in
itself does not guarantee RPA accreditation but should enable successful
students to produce an acceptable portfolio for RPA 2000.
For further information, contact either Claire Hill at the
University of Strathclyde or Trevor Moseley at the University of
Sheffield.
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