ABSNM RP case studies
ABSNM RP · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The ABSNM RP credential, offered by the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine, certifies radiation protection knowledge for scientists and technologists working with radionuclides. It is aimed at nuclear medicine scientists, medical physicists, radiochemists, and laboratory professionals whose responsibilities include radiation safety, dose control, instrumentation, and regulatory compliance. The exam is multiple choice and samples broadly across the field rather than drilling into one subspecialty. Expect questions on radiation physics and instrumentation, detection and measurement, dosimetry and radiation quantities, biological effects, protection principles and ALARA, the regulatory framework, occupational and public dose control, and emergency and waste handling. The ABSNM RP case studies are 5 cases and about 3,103 words.
1The Radiographer's Overexposed Badge
A hospital radiographer wears a whole-body TLD badge on the collar outside a 0.5 mm Pb apron. For the January monitoring period (31 days), the badge reports Hp(10) = 4.8 mSv.
877 words, about 4 min2The Leaking Cs-137 Source in the Survey Meter Calibration Room
A radiation safety officer discovers that a 37 MBq (1 mCi) Cs-137 check source used for daily constancy testing of survey meters has been dropped and its capsule is cracked. The source is in a small calibration room (4 m × 3 m × 2.5 m) with the door closed.
623 words, about 3 min3The CT Dose Index Discrepancy
A medical physicist is reviewing CT dose data after a new protocol was installed. The console reports CTDIvol = 24 mGy and DLP = 720 mGy·cm for a 30 cm phantom.
550 words, about 3 min4The Contractor at the Boundary Fence
A contractor is excavating near the boundary fence of a facility that stores sealed sources. The license sets a public dose limit of 1 mSv/yr and a boundary dose-rate criterion of 0.5 µSv/h at the fence.
511 words, about 3 min5The Extremity Dose in Interventional Cardiology
An interventional cardiologist performs complex PCI cases. Her ring badge (worn on the left ring finger, palm side) reads 45 mSv for the quarter.
542 words, about 3 min