Human Resource Development Program for Advanced Radiation Protection with Practical Problem-Solving Skills

As the use of radiation is being promoted in various fields, the Department of Radiological Technology Science in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences has been producing students with many radiation-related subjects as graduation requirements in order to train medical radiologists. At Kyushu University, nearly half of the students pass the Class I Radiation Protection Supervisor Examination by the time they graduate, proving that the university is able to provide basic education on radiation regulations. On the other hand, in the Department of Radiological Technology and Science, since the main objective is to train radiological technologists who can play an active role in clinical practice, students are required to obtain credits in radiation-related subjects related to radiological treatment. For this reason, the department has not yet established a human resource development system that goes deeper into radiation safety management and includes content related to nuclear regulations, practical exercises and training in the field of radiation management and nuclear disasters.
Radiological technologists have played an active role in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident by screening and providing radiation exposure counseling to the public. In addition, medical accelerators have been introduced to medical institutions to conduct radiotherapy, heavy particle therapy, PET scans, etc., and they account for 75% of the accelerators subject to the Radioisotope Regulation Law. As radiotherapy is expected to become more widespread and technological innovation is expected to continue in the future, it is essential that medical radiologists take the lead in managing radiation safety in the medical field and train personnel who are familiar with radiation regulations, nuclear regulations, and radiation protection to improve the quality of this field as a whole.
In this project, undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Radiological Technology in the Faculty of Health Sciences are mainly targeted to acquire the scientific and technical knowledge necessary for radiation work through advanced and practical lectures, exercises, and practical training on radiation protection, in addition to the conventional education on radiation safety management. In addition to the conventional education on radiation safety management, the program aims to provide students with the scientific and technical knowledge necessary for radiation work through advanced and practical lectures, exercises, and practical training, as well as the ability to explain and conduct research on radiation protection.