CRPA-ACRP Bulletin

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CRPA(R) Prep, February 2023

In this issue, we’ve invited a couple of people who recently prepared for and successfully completed the CRPA(R) registration exam — Devin Sullivan and Laila Omar Nazir — to tell us about their experiences. We asked them to tell us why they wrote the exam, how they prepared, what their strategy was for writing the exam, and what advice they would give to someone thinking about writing the exam.

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A Hundred Thousand Welcomes from CRPA’s 2023 Conference Committee

On behalf of the local organizing committee for CRPA’s upcoming Halifax conference, Pauline and Gary extend a hundred thousand welcomes to CRPA members, exhibitors, sponsors, and guests. In the article, they extol the many virtues of their beautiful city, outline plans for the scientific program, and invite you to participate in a number or enticing ways. The theme of this year’s conference is “Working Together.” Keep reading to learn more.

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Due South, February 2023

After reuniting with Canadian colleagues in chilly Vancouver (after four long years), Scott checks in from South Texas. In addition to his typical weather report and Sasky Pack update, he provides a report from the State of Texas Chapter regulatory conference, which was in Austin, TX, in November, and a preview of upcoming HPS events: The 2023 Hybrid Internal Dosimetry Workshop, which will be on February 6 to 9, 2023, at Oregon State University, and the HPS annual meeting, which will be on July 23 to 27, 2023, at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the Washington, DC, area.

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Let’s Be Clear: Risk Communication for Radiation Safety Professionals (Part III) — Provide Context to Help Readers Make Sense of Your Message

In Part I of this series, we defined risk and risk communication, discussed the need to consider the perspectives of your audience, and explored some of the barriers to effective risk communication. In Part II, we talked about some of the ways plain language can make your risk communication easier to understand and more effective. In Part III, we are exploring the importance of providing context (additional information) to help readers understand the meaning behind the information so they can put risk into perspective.

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CRPA’s Professional Development Committee Update, February 2023

2022 was another busy year for the CRPA Professional Development (PD) Committee, who made sure there were some great training offerings for our members and beyond. We added three new sessions to our online portfolio, which can be access as pay-per-view versions via our Thinkific site. The CRPA PD Committee was also responsible for organizing the Continuing Education Day at ICRP 21+1 in Vancouver in November. Ed Waller made sure we could offer six diverse, great quality sessions by prominent members of the Canadian and international radiation protection and radiation science community.

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Board Update, February 2023

As we get ready for whatever 2023 has to offer, Tara thought this was a good time to look back on the past year. She notes that, while 2022 began with plenty of uncertainty—we weren’t quite sure in-person activities were a guarantee—there was hope on the horizon. CRPA hosted a well-attended virtual annual general meeting and several successful online events. As the year wound down, people had emerged from isolation and we were finally able to gather in person for ICRP 2021+1, which CRPA was proud to cohost.

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President’s Message, February 2023

Leah reflects on CRPA’s many achievements in 2022 (such as offering several well-attended professional development sessions and co-hosting the ICRP 2021+1 symposium) and thanks the many people who contributed to those successes. She also looks forward to even more professional development opportunities in 2023, plus a CRPA conference in Halifax!

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Editor’s Message, February 2023

In his editorial, Grant reflects on the recent International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) 2021+1 conference in Vancouver. After two years of limited online conferences, he found this in-person event well worth the wait. He describes the sessions and some of the key themes. For example, he says many of the topics centred around how to best communicate health risks from ionizing radiation to the public. The conference wrapped up with a panel discussion on the next steps in advancing the system of radiation protection.

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Amendments to the CNSC Radiation Protection Regulations: Introduction

The amended Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Radiation Protection Regulations were published in November of 2020. Following their publication, CNSC adopted a compliance promotion approach with licensees to allow them time to update their radiation safety programs. That period has now ended and all licensees must now meet the new requirements.

The July 2022 issue of the Directorate of Nuclear Substance Regulation (DNSR) Digest highlighted some areas where CNSC inspectors continue to see non-compliance with the updated regulations. We thought this would be a good time to remind Bulletin readers of the regulation changes.