Health Physics level 4A/B

Objective

The aim of the courses health physics level 4 is to independently work with or supervise the handling of radioactive sources and radiation producing equipment in a safe and responsible way. The radiation protection officer level 4 acquires sufficient knowledge and skilfulness to comply with the educational demands in the work permit described by the Dutch Nuclear energy act.

The level 4A course deals with closed sources and equipment; the level 4B course is an expansion dealing with open (not encapsulated) sources. These courses provide a broad education with the emphasis on solving practical radiation protection issues.

Target group

The level 4A/B courses are meant for employees that can encounter radiation sources or equipment with a substantial radiation risk during their normal work and for radiation protection supervisors in a company or institute. During the course, a wide range of applications will be given attention to, a.o. medical, (bio)chemical and industrial settings.

Requested prior education

Participants in the level 4 courses require at least an education in mathematics and physics at higher secondary education level. Some basic knowledge of chemistry and biology is also expected. If you are not sure if your level of education is adequate, please contact the course staff.

Programme

All health physics level 4 courses consist of both a practical and a theoretical part. Active participation in the practical part of the course is compulsory. During the course several experiments will be performed to get acquainted with the basic skills of radiation protection and to clarify the health physics theory.

The following subjects will be discussed:

• Atomic structure and decay
• Radiation producing equipment
• Interactions of radiation and matter
• Detection of ionising radiation
• Dosimetry
• Biological effects of radiation
• Laws and legislation
• Practical radiation protection

Extra in the level 4B course:

• Radiation protection for open sources
• Internal contamination

The subjects are equal to those of the courses health physics level 5, but shall be dealt with both broader and deeper.

Completion

To finish the course successfully, the participants should attend all practical work assignments and pass the theoretic exam in the end. The exam comprises two parts. The first part consists of 20 multiple choice questions and tests the ready knowledge. The second part of the exam consists of 4 essay type questions in which the participants solve practical and realistic radiation protection issues in a few steps. This part of the exam is a so-called open-book exam, which means that participants can use all course material. Both parts of the exam require a minimal number of points to pass. To prepare for the exam participants receive sufficient training material and a special exam training day will be organized a few days in advance.

After completing the course successfully, you will receive the nationally acknowledged certificate Health Physics expert level 4A or 4B, respectively, both in Dutch and English.

Course material

During the course, a dictate will be provided, included in the costs. Furthermore, you will receive a folder with the practical work book and some practice materials. Of all theoretical classes, hand-outs will be provided.

Course information

At this moment, no English language level 4 courses are planned. If you are interested in attending an English language health physics level 4 course in Delft or Utrecht, or if you want to organize a custom-made level 4 course on your location, please contact the NCSV staff.