Radiation Protection Unit

Basic Course in Radiation Protection in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging and Therapy

This course is aimed at those at the University who will be working with radiation in a veterinary application.

This course provides instruction on the nature of radiation and radioactivity, the hazard and risk it presents, the necessary control measures for these particular applications and the method of compliance with relevant radiation safety legislation. This course is available on LEARN.

Syllabus

Introduction

  • Scientific background of radiation
  • How radiation and radioactivity is quantified
  • The effects of radiation
  • The risk from radiation
  • Methods of measuring and controlling the risk

Regulation

  • Official requirements for work with ionising radiation
  • The University arrangements

Application Module A

  • Control of the risk from veterinary radiography

Application Module B

  • Control of the risk from veterinary scintigraphy and the therapeutic use of iodine-131

Application Module C

  • Transport of radioactive material on public roads, the focus of this course is transporting radioisotopes used at the Easter Bush Campus

Assessment

  • Each module has a short 10 question assessment to demonstrate competency.

Suitability

This course is suitable for all those who are involved in veterinary radiography, scintigraphy and I-131 therapy including those assisting with patient care, and those transporting the radioactive material.

Completion of the Introduction Module, Regulation Module and relevant Application Module(s) are mandatory unless they meet the exceptions outlined below. There are three Application Modules; workers need only complete the lecture and assessment for the module(s) that are relevant to their intended work. Unsupervised work of this nature is not permitted until the course has been completed.

Qualified Veterinary Surgeons need not complete the Introduction and Application modules if their basic or postgraduate training has covered these matters. They must still complete the Regulation Module at their first opportunity, although they can undertake imaging or I-131 therapy work, as appropriate to their training, in the meantime.

Where their training has not covered the matters outlined in the above syllabus, or they have not practised diagnostic imaging or I-131 therapy for five years or more, they should complete the whole course and must not undertake such work unsupervised until they have done so.

Course Attendance

Online training

STAFF

Each module is presented as a separate course in P&M, to allow P&M to register completion of individual modules.  All of the modules can be found in the "Health and Safety: Radiation (Basic protection in veterinary diagnostic imaging & therapy)" community by clicking on the link below.

STAFF: Basic course in radiation protection in veterinary diagnostic imaging & therapy

STUDENTS

This course is available in Learn Ultra.  Learn Ultra does not allow students to self-enrol, so please email safety.training@ed.ac.uk with your name and the name of the course you wish enrolled on, and this will be manually done by a member of the Health and Safety department.

Further details

If you require further details please contact the University Radiation Protection Unit.

Tel: +44 (0)131 650 2819/651 4583

Email: radiation@ed.ac.uk