Life, Physical & Social Science
Nuclear Monitoring Technicians
Also called: Health Physics Technician (HP Tech), Nuclear Chemistry Technician, Radiation Control Technician (Radcon Technician), Radiation Protection Specialist (RP Specialist)
US median pay
$110,240
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+1.1%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
900
6,700 employed
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
Preparation 3/5 · Medium preparation
What this job is
Collect and test samples to monitor results of nuclear experiments and contamination of humans, facilities, and environment.
What they do day to day
- Brief workers on radiation levels in work areas.
- Calculate safe radiation exposure times for personnel using plant contamination readings and prescribed safe levels of radiation.
- Monitor personnel to determine the amounts and intensities of radiation exposure.
- Inform supervisors when individual exposures or area radiation levels approach maximum permissible limits.
- Provide initial response to abnormal events or to alarms from radiation monitoring equipment.
- Determine intensities and types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials, using radiation detectors or other instruments.
- Instruct personnel in radiation safety procedures and demonstrate use of protective clothing and equipment.
- Collect samples of air, water, gases, or solids to determine radioactivity levels of contamination.
- Analyze samples, such as air or water samples, for contaminants or other elements.
- Determine or recommend radioactive decontamination procedures, according to the size and nature of equipment and the degree of contamination.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Operations Monitoring3.8/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4/5
- Instructing3.2/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Systems Analysis3.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0/5
Knowledge
- Physics3.3/5
- Mathematics3.3/5
- Public Safety and Security3.1/5
- Chemistry3.1/5
- English Language3.0/5
- Computers and Electronics3.0/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 3 of 5 — Medium preparation. Usually vocational training, an associate's degree or an apprenticeship.
Typical entry education (BLS): Associate's degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Associate's degree29%
- High school diploma27%
- Post-secondary certificate17%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.