Lead Radiation Safety Specialist

UT Southwestern Medical Center • Dallas, TX

10h • Onsite

About The Position

Ensures employee health and safety standards are met in all areas of the organization. Ensures the safe use of radioactive materials, radiation-producing machines, and lasers through licensure, registration, and compliance with accepted environmental, health, and safety standards. Maintains knowledge/expertise on existing/proposed changes in radiation and laser safety regulations; interprets and applies relevant laws and regulations, summarizes information, and implements necessary changes. Offers advice on shielding, safe work practices and regulatory requirements.

The Radiation Safety Program provides radiation safety services to UT Southwestern Medical Center, University Hospitals, Parkland Health and its associated clinics, and Children's Health and its associated clinics. The Radiation Safety Specialist Lead will assist in the development and maintenance of a comprehensive radiation safety program, including developing and providing radiation safety trainings, performing audits to ensure regulatory compliance, and maintaining records as required per regulatory standards. The Radiation Safety Specialist Lead position is part of our Radioactive Materials Program and will also provide support to the Radiation Safety Advisory Committee and the Subcommittee for Non-Human Use of Radiation in Research. The Radioactive Materials Program holds a broad-scope RAM license that covers multiple Nuclear Medicine clinics, 100 RAM sublicenses to PIs for research, interventional radiology, and radiation oncology procedures. The Radioactive Materials program also covers our cyclotron facility, use of Gamma Knife and GammaPod for radiation therapies, and cutting edge technologies including PET MR for nuclear medicine research and PET LINAC for adaptive radiation therapy.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in basic or applied science, engineering, safety, industrial hygiene or related field.
• 5 years related experience
• Pertinent Military experience or relevant certifications may be considered for some of the required experience.

Nice To Haves

• Master's Degree in related field
• 3 years related experience.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates and supervises activities to achieve and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements and institutional safety practices.
• Performs as the Assistant Radiation Safety Officer for a large institutional broad scope RAM license for medical use (both research and clinical).
• Assists with the RAM licenses for the Cyclotron facility and the use of the Gamma Knife and GammaPod.
• Assists with the state registrations for x-ray, mammography, and laser use.
• Designs, develops, implements, and oversees the organization‿s radiation and laser safety programs and procedures to safeguard employees and surrounding communities meet regulatory requirements.
• Designs new and/or recommends improvement to existing processes and procedures including (but not limited to) those related to the technical areas for which the employee serves as the lead.
• Develops written procedures for the radiation safety and laser safety programs.
• Reviews and evaluates radiation safety “Increase Controls” regulations and standards, including 10 CFR Part 37, to determine needed revisions for radiation safety program, policies, and procedures.
• Coordinates with Animal Care and Use Committee and performs protocol reviews of animal procedures to ensure that requirements are met to use radioactive materials safely.
• Analyzes the hazards associated with research protocols that involve the use of radiation and or radioactivity; makes recommendations for minimizing those hazards.
• Maintains the RAM sublicenses to include initial application review, renewal, and expirations.
• Maintains the configuration management for RAM sublicense data with the safety software program.
• Performs staff liaison duties in support of various UT Southwestern committees to include the Radiation Safety Advisory Committee, Subcommittee for Non-Human Use of Radiation in Research, Subcommittee for Human Use of Radiation in Research, and Clinical Laser Safety Committee.
• Develops and conducts safety training programs and monitors for effectiveness.
• Conducts training and orientation sessions for employees to minimize potential safety hazards, including exposure to radiation and lasers.
• Delivers in-lab training for Authorized Users, lab contacts, and users, particularly for hospital staff, academic classes or specialty training.
• Performs surveys of laboratories and facilities (i.e., clinical and research lasers, RAM research labs, clinical RAM use including Radiation Oncology, renewal and termination surveys of radiation use locations, radiation-producing machines including linear accelerators and mammography) to ensure adherence to safety regulation and procedures.
• Operates portable radiation and contamination survey instruments, as well as radiological counting instruments.
• Operates dose calibrator to perform required quality assurance testing.
• Assesses public dose from the use of radiation sources.
• Provides radiation and laser safety support to clinical services, which includes the following: performing radiation safety preparations for clinical radiopharmaceutical therapies (i.e., thyroid ablations, MIBG therapies), monitoring and instructing medical patients receiving radiation exposure to radioactive substances during clinical procedures, supporting physicians and clinical staff during the clinical use of lasers, and supporting research and clinical groups during the procurement of laser-related items.
• Provides technical guidance, mentoring, and oversight to radiation safety specialist, as needed.
• May supervise staff and manage Human Resources activities including recruiting and selection, hiring and termination, training, professional development, mentoring, counseling, performance evaluations.
• Prepares for and responds to emergencies including hazardous materials incidents and emergency situations involving radiation and lasers.
• Prepares reports of findings and submits recommendations.
• Participates in emergency drills including fire drills.
• Individual may be on-call or emergency situations may require the individual to respond at times outside of set work schedule.
• Acts as the secondary back-up for the staff member responsible for the following essential functions: radioactive materials ordering and receipt program, radioactive materials shipping and receiving to include appropriate DOT and IATA expertise, radioactive waste shipping and disposal.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100%25 coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior