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Unique hurdles of health physics

The Unique Hurdles of Health Physics: A Closer Look

In the dynamic field of health physics, professionals must navigate the complex task of safeguarding people and the environment from radiation hazards while driving scientific and medical advancements.

To delve into the specialized world of health physics, we interviewed Raymond Sims, Senior Radiation Protection Instrumentation Technician at Palo Verde Generating Station.

The ideas and opinions expressed below are held by Raymond and don’t reflect his employer or Mirion. Interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Mirion: How did you decide to become a health physicist?

Raymond Sims: I've always wanted to be a nuclear scientist or nuclear engineer ever since I was a child. I studied electronics engineering, and I wanted to work with particle accelerators. I actually started working at an instrument radiation protection instrument vendor as a radiation safety officer.

I started working with characterizations of neutron sources and various things of that nature and I really loved it. So, I went to college and got my bachelor's degree. I just really love the science of internal radiation calculations and detection.

Mirion: It sounds like you love what you do. How do you use that passion in your work today?

RS: I design sources; I calibrate instrumentation; I develop procedures and processes. I'm a member of the Health Physics Instrumentation Committee headed by Los Alamos National Laboratory where we perform vendor evaluations of instrumentation and participate in industry related discussions to improve health physics processes and instrumentation.

Mirion: How did you decide to be in a radiation safety role in particular?

RS: Once I started working as an instrumentation technician, I really liked being able to protect the public and keeping people safe. That was something that really drew me in.

Mirion: With health physics, every single day can bring a new challenge. Do you find that to be true in your work also?

RS: Yes. Because the overall role of a health physicist is to protect the public, and there are so many ways to accomplish that. Some are more behind the scenes, and some are more direct. The challenges you could face one day could be interfacing with people, whether it be coworkers or it could be members of the public. But then also you could interface with regulatory personnel, state personnel. It is very challenging and some days you don't know what’s coming, and that's what makes it fun, interesting, and exciting.

Mirion: How do you balance the dynamic nature of your work?

RS: Well, you have to stay organized. You also have to stay on top of the changes in the industry, and regulatory requirements, which is easier when you love what you do.

It is so much easier to be able to switch from one role to the next because of that underlying drive. It doesn't matter what role you're in, you're ready for that challenge. And one way that I look at it is when I'm not interfacing with people, I’m preparing what I'm going to present to people.

Mirion: Has Mirion helped you solve a radiation measurement challenge in the past?

RS: Mirion instrumentation has helped me see the application of some of the theories that I've learned — to see it in practice. As an example, time of flight – I've only seen that in one application, but to see them use it in a different way has helped me broaden my knowledge and understanding of how to use technology. It’s interesting, and I still achieve the same goal and sometimes even better results.

Mirion: What’s your biggest challenge today?

RS: The biggest challenge is keeping up with the changes in technology in the world, and being able to stay in the forefront of protecting the public. For example, when the processes for landfills changed, or when they are making new medical isotopes, or nuclear power is looking at new Thorium style reactors, we have to figure out how to take existing technology and knowledge of instrumentation, and transition from what we would use today to protect people tomorrow.

Mirion: What are you excited about for the future?

RS: The technology I'm most excited about is neutron quantification. I think that has been a challenge for health physicists throughout the world. I'm really looking forward to seeing that improvement.

Mirion: What advice would you give to someone starting out in health physics today?

RS: Don't be afraid to learn and step outside of your comfort zone. Don't be afraid to grow and develop your passion. There are so many avenues in health physics and it's easy to be distracted by one aspect, but just explore to see what your passion is. As long as you want to help people, no matter what branch you go into for health physics, you will go a long way and have a lot of success and success is fulfillment, self-fulfillment.


At Mirion, we’re proud to support health physicists stay at the forefront of the industry, where protecting people is the primary focus.

Interested in health physics instrumentation from Mirion? Explore our solutions here: Health Physics & Radiation Safety Instruments

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