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Associate of Science in Physics with an emphasis in Health Physics Program at Idaho State University Curriculum and Detailed Program Description To Apply for Admission to this program, there are two required applications:
What to do about technician training - a new approach Perhaps one of the more immediate shortages the nation is facing as the front edge of the human resources crisis begins is a lack of health physics technicians. This reflects the attrition of technician training programs that was associated with a slow job market during the latter part of the last decade. Traditional technician training programs seemed to suffer from problems with recruiting students even when the job market was good. The Idaho State University Health Physic Program which already offers successful B.S., M.S, and Ph.D. academic educational programs will now also offer a technician training program. The new ISU program will provide students with the opportunity to earn an Associate of Science Degree in Physics with an emphasis in Health Physics. This new program will incorporate several novel approaches that may moderate the historical boom and bust enrollment cycle that has proven to be devastating to so many other technician training programs. It also aims to meet the diverse needs of all the program’s constituents. Here are the ISU twists: * Program enrollment will be limited by the number of internship positions committed to by industrial partners. * The structure of the industrial internships requires that a responsible mentor be named for each student participant and that a structured internship be in place that is consistent with the on-the-job-training standards promulgated by INPO. * All industrial partners will automatically have a voting position on the active program advisory committee. * Industrial partners recruit participants from their own local areas. * A sub-committee of the advisory-committee in collaboration with ISU Health Physics Program faculty accepts student applicants based upon merit, career statements, entrance examination scores, and student interviews. * Students earn an Associate of Science Degree in Physics with an Emphasis in Health Physics. Students will complete the same general education requirements as required for a Bachelors Degree. Should a student decide to pursue further education they would begin a Baccalaureate Program at ISU with a junior standing. * The ISU Health Physics Program has developed a specific policy on how it will handle matters of experiential credit relative to the A.S. Degree in Physics with Emphasis in Health Physics. * The program will require between 21 to 24 months to complete for traditional students depending upon whether students are involved with an optional pre-academic experience internship. If a student has already completed their general education requirements they could complete this Associate Degree Program in 12 months. ISU recognizes that a successful training program must have a strong component of employer specific on-the-job-training. It appears that if a program’s administrators desire to stabilize enrollment they must extend the program beyond fluctuating regional demand. And a successful program must be directly responsible to specific industrial constituents. The need for a program to demonstrate responsiveness to potential student employers is self-evident. Training programs must also consider the needs of the students that will be recruited. Students are interested in a program that: has clear objectives, minimizes the time in the program yet provides the required information at an optimal pace, provides a reasonable and easy transfer of technician training credits into professional program credits, provides a reasonable and easy method to convert experiential knowledge into useful academic credit, and is sufficiently rigorous to give them marketable skills. Our program has been established to meet the needs of students and employers. Our focus is on quality. We anticipate a great deal of success in meeting state, regional, and national needs for health physics technicians. We have already established several industrial collaborators. We are actively seeking and will continue to seek active industrial collaborators. The intention of this program is
to provide the students with specific training on topics appropriate
for and necessary to an individual employed as a Health Physics
Technician.
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