Thomas Edison State University has partnered with the prominent radiation protection firm Dade Moeller to develop an online, noncredit course in radiation safety training.
The collaboration marks the first time that the Dade Moeller Training Academy’s Radiation Safety Officer classroom-based course, which has been taken by more than 2,500 radiation safety officers over the past 23 years, is being offered online to a national audience of adult learners. The 45-hour course, Radiation Safety Officer (RSO-100-PS), is designed to prepare students to meet mandated federal and state training requirements for radiation safety.
“The nexus between Dade Moeller’s expertise and reputation in the field of radiation safety and Thomas Edison State University’s leadership in the innovative use of online courses for adults has resulted in a course that is both rigorous and accessible, and we are collectively proud to play an integral role in our nation’s effort to ensure a well-trained nuclear workforce,” said Dr. Richard P. Coe, assistant dean in the School of Applied Science and Technology at Thomas Edison State University.
The course will be mentored by Dade Moeller Senior Health Physicist Dr. Alan Fellman and is being offered jointly by the college’s School of Applied Science and Technology and John S. Watson School of Public Service and Continuing Education.
Students will be prepared to lead businesses and industries in maintaining a safe working environment at facilities licensed or registered to possess radioactive materials and radiation producing machines. Course work will focus on the fundamentals of regulatory requirements, policies and implementation practices for working with and supervising those who work with radioactive materials and radiation producing machines.
Through lectures, simulated laboratory exercises and course materials, the curriculum covers radiation fundamentals, health risks, regulations, licensing, enforcement, dosimetry, instruments, statistics, quality assurance, shipment and receipt of radioactive materials, program management, record-keeping, emergency response, and regulatory inspections.
Thomas Edison State University has also worked with Dade Moeller to create a new exam, Radiation Safety Officer (APS-289), which is part of the college’s TECEP® program and provides students who have completed either the online, noncredit course or Dade Moeller’s classroom-based course with the opportunity to earn three credits that can be applied to an associate or baccalaureate degree at the college. Students who pass the TECEP® exam will earn the three credits.
The course will be first offered on March 17, 2014 and again on July 14 and Sept. 15. The Radiation Safety Officer exam will be offered 12 months each year at the start of each undergraduate term.
About Dade Moeller
Headquartered near the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford nuclear site since its founding in 1994, Dade Moeller is an employee-owned company that provides a full range of professional and technical services to federal, state, and commercial clients in support of nuclear, radiological, and environmental operations. Its Dade Moeller Training Academy has long been recognized as one of the foremost providers of education and training on a complete range of radiological and occupational safety topics. The company employs more Certified Health Physicists (radiation safety scientists) than any other company in the United States. Further information about radiation protection and occupational safety training through Dade Moeller Training Academy is available by calling (800) 871-7930, via e-mail at training@dademoeller.com, or by visiting the Dade Moeller Training Academy website.
Toni M. Terry, BA