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Health Physics Statistics

Continuing education course introduces the use of statistics in operational health physics

Introduction

The modern health physicist must be prepared to review, interpret, and analyze statistical data. The use of statistics and emphasis on risk-based decision-making has become more and more important to the radiation protection community. To help meet the need for trained personnel in this area, ORAU conducts a five-day training course—Health Physics Statistics. The American Academy of Health Physics grants 40 Continuing Education Credits for completion of this course.

Training dates

Stay tuned for future course dates.

Please consider registering for the online Health Physics Statistics course.

Course description

This five-day course introduces participants to the use of statistics in operational health physics. The course is divided between lectures and practical laboratory activities designed to reinforce important principles. Core concepts such as probability distributions, descriptive statistics, and hypothesis testing are included to support more detailed discussions on uncertainty propagation and statistical tests.

Who should attend

This course is for individuals with limited statistical knowledge and/or practical work experience who must analyze data sets and/or must oversee health physics projects.

Cost

$1,995 – The tuition includes the full cost of training and instructional materials in electronic form (PDF). Attendees should bring a laptop or tablet that is wifi enabled in order to download the instructional materials on the first day of the course. A printed copy of the instructional materials may be purchased for an additional fee ($50) if preferred. The print option can be selected during registration. Attendees will also receive a free copy of the ORAU Professional Training Programs Electronic Library DVD.

Questions

If you have additional questions about this course, please contact the Registrar.

Impact Areas

Registration Information

 

PTP has upgraded our instructional materials to an electronic format. Attendees should bring a laptop or tablet that is wifi enabled in order to download the instructional materials on the first day of the course. The lecture handouts that have traditionally been available in course notebooks will now be provided electronically. Textbooks and other resources may still be available in hardcopy for certain courses. If your preference is to work from printed materials please choose that option during registration and the notebook(s) will be provided for use on the first day of the course for an additional fee ($50). Lab handouts will still be provided for courses that include a laboratory component. If you have any questions, please contact the Registrar.

The decision deadline for running a course is 30 days prior to the course start date. If there are not enough registrants at that time, the course will be cancelled, so please REGISTER EARLY. If you are unable to register prior to the deadline, please contact the Registrar for assistance.

You have several options on registration and payment for an ORAU PTP course:

Be sure to read the following information prior to registering.

Non-citizens (U.S.)

Since this training takes place in a Department of Energy facility, certain security requirements must be met. Foreign nationals must be cleared before attending, a process that may take several weeks. If you are a foreign national, contact the Registrar for additional information.

Confirmation

One month prior to the course starting date, if that much advance time is available, you will receive written confirmation of your registration, as well as additional information regarding time, local lodging, and local transportation. You are responsible for your own  lodging arrangements.

You may cancel your registration 30 days prior to the course start date with no penalty. Individuals who cancel within 30 days of the course start date will be assessed a 10% cancellation fee based on the cost of the course. Individuals who do not notify ORAU of cancellation and do not attend the course will be assessed a 20% cancellation fee.

Cancellations must be communicated directly to the ORAU Professional Training Programs Registrar and a confirmation will be provided. Cancellation fees will be invoiced to participants after the completion of the course. If a course was paid in full at the time of registration, reimbursement (minus any applicable cancellation fee) will be processed after course completion.

ORAU’s Professional Training Programs reserves the right to cancel or reschedule a course due to insufficient participants, or for other reasons beyond our control. If a course is canceled, you will be notified by phone or email one month prior to the start date of the course. No cancellation fee will be assessed for courses canceled by ORAU. If ORAU cancels the course, any payments received prior to the cancellation of the course will be refunded in full.

ORAU does not recommend that participants make non-refundable travel arrangements prior to the one month cancellation window. ORAU is not liable for such costs if the course is canceled.

Time Action Cancellation Fee
≥ 30 days before start date of the course ORAU cancels course or participant cancels registration None
< 30 days before start date of the course Participant cancels registration 10% of course cost
Week of course Participant does not attend and/or provide notification before start date of the course 20% of course cost

  1. From the airport, take US 129 N (Alcoa Highway) toward Knoxville for approximately 2.3 miles.
  2. Use the right lane to merge onto I-140 W via the ramp to Oak Ridge.
  3. Continue on I-140 W for approximately 11.4 miles. As you cross I-40/I-75, I-140 ends and becomes TN-162. Continue on TN-162 (Pellissippi Parkway).
  4. In 5.9 miles, TN-162 N will merge with TN-62 W. You will travel through the small Solway community that primarily consists of gas stations and small stores. Continue over the Clinch River/Solway Bridge, and past a local cemetery that will be on the right.
  5. Stay in one of the left two lanes and continue another 6.3 miles to Oak Ridge.

Directions to the training center:

  1. After you have crossed over the Clinch River/Solway Bridge and cemetery is on your right, you will see a sign that says “Bethel Valley Road ORNL Y-12 Complex, CLOSED TO THROUGH TRAFFIC.” Exit to the right onto Bethel Valley Road.
  2. In approximately 0.8 miles, the training center will be on the left at the intersection of Bethel Valley Road and Pumphouse Road (to the left) and Scarboro Road (to the right). Turn left onto Pumphouse Road. There will be two entrances immediately on the left into the parking lot.
  3. To enter the facility, walk around to the front of the building. The training center entrance faces Bethel Valley Road closest to the intersection.

Google Earth coordinates of training facility: 35.983667 -84.222

Hotel Address Phone Distance
Candlewood Suites* 10206 Parkside Drive, Knoxville 1(865) 777-0400
1(877) 226-3539		 10 miles
Comfort Inn 433 S. Rutgers Ave., Oak Ridge 1(865) 481-8200
1(800) 228-5150		 2.5 miles
Courtyard by Marriott 216 Langley Place, Knoxville 1(865) 539-0600 9 miles
Days Inn 206 S. Illinois Ave., Oak Ridge 1(865) 483-5615
1(800) 329-7466		 3 miles
Doubletree 215 S. Illinois Ave., Oak Ridge 1(865) 481-2468
1(800) 222-TREE		 3 miles
Hampton Inn 208 S. Illinois Ave., Oak Ridge 1(865) 482-7889
1(800) HAMPTON		 3 miles
Holiday Inn Express* 114 Tulsa Road, Oak Ridge 1(888) 465-4329 3.5 miles
Homewood Suites by Hilton 10935 Turkey Drive, Knoxville 1(865) 777-0375 10 miles
Quality Inn 216 S. Rutgers Ave., Oak Ridge 1(865) 483-6809 3 miles
Residence Inn by Marriott* 215 Langley Place, Knoxville 1(865) 539-5339 9 miles
SpringHill Suites by Marriott 10955 Turkey Drive, Knoxville 1(865) 966-8888 10 miles
Staybridge Suites (Extended Stay)* 420 S. Illinois Ave., Oak Ridge 1(865) 298-0050
1(800) 238-8000		 2.5 miles
TownePlace Suites by Marriott* 205 Langley Place, Knoxville 1(865) 693-5216 9 miles
Westgate Apartments 101-O Gates Drive 1(865) 481-0603 8 miles

*Ask for the ORAU special rate.

Airline Phone Number
Allegiant Air 1(702) 505-8888
American Airlines 1(800) 433-7300
Delta Airlines 1(702) 505-8888
Frontier Airlines 1(801) 401-9000
United Airlines 1(800) 864-8331
McGhee Tyson Airport 1(865) 342-3000
Rental Car Agency Phone Number Reservations
Alamo 1(865) 342-3210 1(800) 327-9633
AVIS 1(865) 342-3220 1(800) 331-1212
Budget Car Rental 1(865) 342-3220 1(800) 527-0700
Dollar Car Rental 1(865) 342-3250 1(800) 366-2277
Enterprise Rent-a-Car 1(865) 342-1650 1(800) Rent-A-Car
Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Oak Ridge 1(865) 483-8494 1(800) 325-8007
Hertz 1(865) 342-3232 1(800) 654-3131
National Car Rental 1(865) 342-3240 1(800) 227-7368

Tentative Course Schedule

 

Monday

 
8:00 AM Welcome, Registration, Orientation and Photo 
8:15 AM Descriptive Statistics
10:15 AM Practical Exercise: Basic Statistics - Hand Calculations
11:00 AM Practical Exercise: Basic Statistics - Minitab
1:00 PM Probability Distributions
3:30 PM Practical Exercise: Chi-Square Applications
Tuesday

 
8:00 AM Review Session
8:15 AM Inferential Statistics
9:45 AM Practical Exercise: Confidence Limits
10:15 AM Practical Exercise: Goodness of Fit, Normality,  and Outliers
1:00 PM Statistical Tests - Part 1
3:00 PM Practical Exercise: Interpretation of Statistical Tests
Wednesday

 
8:00 AM Review Session
8:15 AM Statistical Tests - Part 2
11:00 AM Practical Exercise: Interpretation of Statistical Tests continued
1:00 PM Uncertainty – General
3:00 PM Propagation of Uncertainty
Thursday

 
8:00 AM Review Session
8:15 AM Practical Exercise: Combined Uncertainty
9:00 AM Critical Levels, Detection Limits, MDAs, and MDCs
11:00 AM Practical Exercise: Determining Critical Levels and Detection Limits
1:00 PM Minimum Quantifiable Concentration
2:30 PM Control Charts for Health Physics Applications
3:30 PM Practical Exercise: Control Charts
Friday

 
8:00 AM Review Session
8:15 AM Reporting Data
8:45 AM Special Statistics in Decommissioning
10:00 AM Course Critique and Adjourn

What our students are saying

“Very good review of statistical processes. The course also covered a broad range of applications of statistics.”

“Instructors were very knowledgeable in this field, no question went unanswered. I would and will recommend this course.”

“Refreshing, challenging; more educational than courses I've been to thus far in my career.”

A male health physicist conducts an indoor radiation survey

Contact us

For more information about ORAU's Professional Training Programs, contact:

Registrar
ORAU Professional Training Programs 
P.O. Box 117, MS-11
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117
Phone: (865) 576-3576
Fax: (865) 241-9152
registrar@orau.org

ORAU Professional Training Programs flyer

View the PTP course flyer (.PDF, 1.28 MB)