Overview

The National Council on Radiation Protection (N.C.R.P.) has published, as its guideline and, state and federal agencies have promulgated regulations for a recommended annual exposure dose limit for individuals employed as radiation workers. These level are 5 rem (5,000 millirem) per annum, with a cumulative level not to exceed a level calculated by the formula “1 rem times the age of the worker”. The N.C.R.P. has also published as a recommended annual exposure dose limit for those who may “occasionally” be exposed to radiation in the workplace, a level of 0.5 rem (500 millirem) per annum. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Radiation Control Program has adopted and enforces these guidelines within its regulations.

The Medical Radiography Program Administration and Faculty have established as the annual exposure dose limit for students enrolled in its program, the level of 0.5 rem (500 millirem) per annum. Upon consultation with Certified Radiation Health Physicists, and in the experience of the Program administration and faculty, this level (which is 1/10th that recommended for the radiation worker), is “As Low As is Reasonably Achievable” (A.L.A.R.A.) for medical radiography students.

Policy

In order to help assure that this A.L.A.R.A. level is not exceeded by its students, the Medical Radiography Program Administration will:

• Regularly monitor radiation exposure levels for all medical radiography students and faculty while they are attending their regularly scheduled clinical education activities at their assigned Clinical Education Setting and during laboratory exercises on campus which involve the use of the lab’s energized equipment.
• Maintain, in perpetuity, radiation exposure measurement records for all enrolled students, program administrators and faculty
• Make available for review by all students, administrators and faculty, their respective exposure measurement readings, both cumulative and periodic
• Forbid the practice of any student ever actively “holding for support or restraint” any patient while that patient is being exposed to X-Radiation
• Require all Program students, administrators and faculty to wear their assigned radiation monitoring device, at all times while attending their assigned Clinical Education Center for program related activities. The monitoring device is to be worn at the collar, outside of any personnel radiation-shielding apron.
• Require all Program administrators, faculty and students to affix their initials after their reading on the posted periodic radiation monitoring report
• Notify, in writing, any individual monitored by the Program, of any radiation exposure levels which exceed the Program’s A.L.A.R.A. levels
• Require the individual so notified to respond, in writing, to the Program Director: 1) describing where they were assigned during the monitoring period and 2) offering a possible reason for their dose to exceed the Program’s A.L.A.R.A. level.
• Endure that the Program’s notification to the student shall be made within a time period not to exceed three weeks from its receipt of the report. The individual receiving the notification must respond within fourteen calendar days of receipt of the notification.
• Forbid any student or faculty member from remaining within either of its energized lab rooms while an X-Ray exposure is being made

Any student who knowingly and/or willfully breaks any of the above stipulations will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the program.

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