Step 1: Review the Examination Requirements
Academics
Bachelor's, or graduate, degree from an accredited college or university in physical science, biological science, or engineering with a minimum of 20 semester hours in physical science. Applicants for early admission to Part I who have not received their degree at the time of application, but who are scheduled to be granted their qualifying degree by 30 June, may sit for the examination by providing an official transcript showing current degree progress by the application deadline.
Experience
An applicant must have at least six years of professional experience in health physics, as of 1 July of the year in which the examination is to be taken. An applicant may claim professional experience for one advanced degree only and work experience for the same period. A master’s degree may be substituted for one year, while a doctoral degree may be substituted for two years of the required experience. Technician-level experience will in no case be acceptable as meeting the experience requirements. A maximum of one year of work experience can be claimed for each calendar year.
The six years of professional experience must be experience that demonstrates that the candidate has been required to exercise judgment in one, or more, of the following:
- establishment and/or evaluation of a radiation protection program,
- design and/or the evaluation of the design of the radiation protection aspects of a facility,
- design and implementation of a radiation protection training course or program,
- development of an experimental and/or measurement program related to radiation protection,
- evaluation of measurement data,
- analysis and solution of radiation protection problems,
- preparation, interpretation and implementation of recommendations and regulations.
References
Reference statements are required from the applicant’s supervisor and, if applying for Part II, from at least two other individuals who are professionally qualified to evaluate the applicant’s ability in health physics. At least one of the references must be certified by the ABHP or, at the discretion of the Board Chair, a person certified by another certifying board.
Written Report
Each applicant for Part II of the examination shall submit with the Application for Certification a document written by the applicant that reflects a professional health physics effort. This “effort” may be a substantive facility evaluation, a protection guidance document, a major monitoring program, or some other complex or comprehensive effort. The criteria for ABHP acceptance of this report are that it (1) be on a topic for which the ABHP tests and certifies expertise, (2) contain elements of professional judgment or application of non-regulatory protection guidance, and (3) be written solely or principally by the candidate.
Examination
The examination has two parts: Part I, which can be taken prior to fulfilling all the requirements for certification, determines the competence of the applicant in fundamental aspects of health physics, and Part II determines the applicant’s competence in applied health physics topics. Either part of the examination must be taken within one year of notification of eligibility, or a new application must be submitted. After passing Part I, the applicant must pass Part II within a period of seven years, or retake both parts
Step 2: Apply
Application Opens:
November-December 2022
Application Deadline:
January 15, 2023
Online Application
Prepare an application to take Part I and/or Part II of the ABHP exam: https://app.prolydian.com/organizations/abhp
The following requirements are submitted online (through Prolydian):
+ professional experience,
+ an immediate supervisor form,
+ two confidential professional reference forms, and
+ a Radiation Protection Report and cover sheet.
Submit Official Transcripts
Official college transcripts may be sent by mail or email to the ABHP Secretariat at:
Secretariat
American Board of Health Physics
191 Clarksville Road
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
800 852 4269
[email protected]
Once the application is reviewed and approved by the ABHP, you will receive an authorization to test email with further instructions on selecting for a testing location and day. Part I offers multiple locations and testing dates through any Pearson Vue testing center. However, Part II is only offered once a year, typically in June, at designated locations.
Step 3: Study, Study, Study!
The Board noticed that the single most important attribute of successful candidates was the amount of time spent studying for the examination. On average, successful candidates claimed an average of 300 hours in study.