WAC 246-240-399   Training for use of remote afterloader units, teletherapy units, and gamma stereotactic radiosurgery units.  Except as provided in WAC 246-240-078, the licensee shall require an authorized user of a sealed source for a use authorized under WAC 246-240-351 to be a physician who:

     (1) Is certified by a medical specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the department, the U.S. NRC, or an agreement state. (Specialty boards whose certification process has been recognized by the NRC or an agreement state will be posted on the NRC's web page at http://www.nrc.gov.) To be recognized, a specialty board shall require all candidates for certification to:

     (a) Successfully complete a minimum of three years of residency training in a radiation therapy program approved by the Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the Committee on Postgraduate Training of the American Osteopathic Association; and

     (b) Pass an examination, administered by diplomates of the specialty board, which tests knowledge and competence in radiation safety, radionuclide handling, treatment planning, quality assurance, and clinical use of stereotactic radiosurgery, high and low dose-rate brachytherapy, and external beam therapy; or

     (2)(a) Has completed a structured educational program in basic radionuclide techniques applicable to the use of a sealed source in a therapeutic medical unit that includes:

     (i) Two hundred hours of classroom and laboratory training in the following areas:

     (A) Radiation physics and instrumentation;

     (B) Radiation protection;

     (C) Mathematics pertaining to the use and measurement of radioactivity; and

     (D) Radiation biology; and

     (ii) Five hundred hours of work experience, under the supervision of an authorized user who meets the requirements in WAC 246-240-078, 246-240-399 or equivalent agreement state or U.S. NRC requirements at a medical institution, involving:

     (A) Reviewing full calibration measurements and periodic spot-checks;

     (B) Preparing treatment plans and calculating treatment doses and times;

     (C) Using administrative controls to prevent a medical event involving the use of radioactive material;

     (D) Implementing emergency procedures to be followed in the event of the abnormal operation of the medical unit or console;

     (E) Checking and using survey meters; and

     (F) Selecting the proper dose and how it is to be administered; and

     (b) Has completed three years of supervised clinical experience in radiation therapy, under an authorized user who meets the requirements in WAC 246-240-078, 246-240-399 or equivalent U.S. NRC or agreement state requirements, as part of a formal training program approved by the Residency Review Committee for Radiation Oncology of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the Committee on Postdoctoral Training of the American Osteopathic Association. This experience may be obtained concurrently with the supervised work experience required by (a)(ii) of this subsection; and

     (c) Has obtained written certification under oath that the individual has satisfactorily completed the requirements in subsection (1)(a) of this section, or (a) and (b), and (d) of this subsection and has achieved a level of competency sufficient to function independently as an authorized user of each type of therapeutic medical unit for which the individual is requesting authorized user status. The written certification under oath must be signed by a preceptor authorized user who meets the requirements in WAC 246-240-078, 246-240-399 or equivalent U.S. NRC or agreement state requirements for an authorized user for each type of therapeutic medical unit for which the individual is requesting authorized user status; and

     (d) Has received training in device operation, safety procedures, and clinical use for the type(s) of use for which authorization is sought. This training requirement may be satisfied by satisfactory completion of a training program provided by the vendor for new users or by receiving training supervised by an authorized user or authorized medical physicist, as appropriate, who is authorized for the type(s) of use for which the individual is seeking authorization.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 70.98.050. 11-03-068, § 246-240-399, filed 1/18/11, effective 2/18/11; 07-14-131, § 246-240-399, filed 7/3/07, effective 8/3/07; 06-05-019, § 246-240-399, filed 2/6/06, effective 3/9/06.]