Career Overview
Collect and test samples to monitor results of nuclear experiments and contamination of humans, facilities, and environment.
Also Known As
- Health Physics Technician (HP Tech)
- Radiation Protection Specialist (RP Specialist)
- Radiation Protection Technician (RPT)
- Radiochemical Technician
Alternate Job Titles
- Cathodic Protection Technician
- Chemical Radiation Technician
- Decontaminator
- Health Physics Technician (HP Tech)
- Instrumentation Control Specialist
- Laboratory Control Specialist
- Metallographic Technician
- Nuclear Chemistry Technician
- Nuclear Control Technician
- Nuclear Technician
- Nuclear Worker Technician
- Radiation Control Specialist
- Radiation Control Technician (Radcon Technician)
- Radiation Monitor
- Radiation Protection Monitor
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Brief workers on radiation levels in work areas.
- Calculate safe radiation exposure times for personnel using plant contamination readings and prescribed safe levels of radiation.
- Monitor personnel to determine the amounts and intensities of radiation exposure.
- Inform supervisors when individual exposures or area radiation levels approach maximum permissible limits.
- Provide initial response to abnormal events or to alarms from radiation monitoring equipment.
- Determine intensities and types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials, using radiation detectors or other instruments.
- Instruct personnel in radiation safety procedures and demonstrate use of protective clothing and equipment.
Emerging Responsibilities
As this field evolves, you may also:
- Calibrate, maintain, and repair chemical instrumentation sensing elements and sampling system equipment, using calibration instruments and hand tools.
- Document results from radiation and contamination surveys.
- Inspect, test, and maintain respiratory protection equipment.
- Write radiological work permits.
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Operations Monitoring
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
- Near Vision
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Information Ordering
- Selective Attention
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Stress Tolerance
- Integrity
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Relationships
- Independence
- Achievement
- Working Conditions
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
On-the-Job Training: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Education Details: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Experience Required: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Azure software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Windows Server
- Microsoft Word
- Oracle Java
- Structured query language SQL
Tools & Equipment
- Air purifying respirators
- Air sampling devices
- Airline respirators
- Alpha air monitors
- Alpha/beta counting systems
- Alpha/beta surface contamination monitors
- Area gamma monitors
- Atmosphere supplying respirators
- Contamination probes
- Cryogenic microcalorimeters
- Cryostats
- Desktop computers
- Digital ratemeters
- Digital signal analyzers
- Digital spectrum analyzers
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Telephone Conversations
- Exposed to Radiation
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Nuclear Technicians occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Nuclear Monitoring Technicians.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $64,370 |
| Median | $104,240 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $126,890 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 5,990
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Nuclear Technicians
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $104,240
Nuclear Engineers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $127,520
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $49,490
Nuclear Medicine Technologists
Education: Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
Median Salary: $97,020
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $122,610
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.