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RPT Program Graduates
Students Ahead of Schedule
ATC's Radiation Protection Technology program, the largest of about a dozen in the nation, continues to garner attention for its excellence.
Most recently, the program was touted for graduating 16 students almost six months ahead of schedule. With funds contributed from the Savannah River Site, ATC was able to add two adjunct instructors, bringing their total to six, which allowed for additional lab and classes in a shortened mini-semester format.
Fourteen of the 16 early graduates will go to work at SRS and the other two students have chosen to work toward their bachelor's degree with one of three partnering universities (USC, South Carolina State, and Francis Marion).
In addition, approximately 40-50 students are on track to complete their RPT coursework early over the next year. Jim Stafford, director of SRNS' radiological protection department, and chair of the ATC RPT advisory board, said, "There is a nationwide shortage of RPT technicians and ATC's program is helping to fill a critical demand. While not all the professional opportunities are local, there are regional employment openings throughout the nation."
The ATC radiation protection program began in August 2008 and has 163 students enrolled in it.
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