Senior Radiation Protection Specialist

County of Los Angeles•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is hiring Senior Radiation Protection Specialists to conduct complex, specialized, and sensitive investigations, inspections, and evaluations to detect and control radiation hazards. The role ensures compliance with State, Federal, and County laws and regulations governing the use of X-ray equipment and radioactive materials, and serves as lead-person over Radiation Protection Specialists. The position involves inspecting medical, dental, industrial, research, and academic facilities; reviewing installation plans and shielding designs; using radiation-measuring instruments and other test equipment; documenting findings and enforcing applicable requirements; advising and training radiation users and the public; and responding to radiation incidents. The position may work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. Physical demands are classified as moderate and include standing or walking most of the time, bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, reaching, working on irregular surfaces, and lifting objects.

Requirements

Option I: Hold a valid certificate in diagnostic or therapeutic radiologic technology or nuclear medicine technology issued by the California Department of Public Health or the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, or hold a health physics technology certificate from an accredited two-year program; and have six years of experience in a regulatory program conducting investigations and surveying the use of radiological equipment, advising on radiation safety, and ensuring compliance with radiation-use rules and regulations.
Option II: Hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, majoring in radiologic health, radiologic science, radiologic technology, health physics, physics, engineering, mathematics, physical science, or a closely related field; and have three years of professional experience in health physics or a closely related field.
Option III: Have one year of experience performing the duties of a Radiation Protection Specialist with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health.
Have a valid California Class C Driver License or be able to use an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.
For credit toward education requirements, provide official, legible education documents showing the degree-conferral date; international degrees must be evaluated for equivalency to U.S. standards.
Complete the application with relevant experience and, where applicable, required license and certificate information.

Nice To Haves

Additional experience beyond the requirements to qualify.

Responsibilities

Conduct routine and non-routine inspections or investigations of X-ray equipment at hospitals, clinics, mammography facilities, dental offices, and other medical facilities, including high-energy devices such as medical therapy linear accelerators.
Act as lead-person for Radiation Protection Specialists.
Review plans and specifications for proposed X-ray or radioactive-material installations, including radiation therapy machines and Positron Emission Tomography scanners, and perform complex calculations to assess shielding design accuracy.
Use radiation-measuring instruments, test equipment, phantoms, and computers to determine compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and radiation-safety practices.
Measure the adequacy of shielding in walls using radiation-detection instruments.
Prepare inspection reports, letters, and Notices of Violations; follow up on violations to ensure timely corrective action; and report on shielding adequacies or deficiencies.
Enforce State, Federal, and County laws regarding the manufacture, installation, and use of X-ray equipment, as well as State certification requirements for people who use X-ray equipment.
Provide consultation and training to physicians, dentists, X-ray personnel, and the public on safe practices, procedures, and legal requirements for radiation-producing equipment.
Review personnel radiation-monitoring reports, investigate exposure incidents and complaints, and require appropriate control measures.
Train Radiation Protection Specialists in inspection techniques and procedures, program policies, and interpretation of regulations.
Oversee the radiation-exposure monitoring program for Radiation Management staff.
Respond to emergency situations involving radiation incidents.
Complete special projects, including the Nationwide Evaluation of X-ray Trends (NEXT) and Federal Compliance Tests.