Is it OK to have interns perform radiological examinations?
All personnel involved in radiological examinations must have corresponding training and manage their personal exposure dose level.
Decide in advance whether to have the intern only observe or actually participate in part of the procedure. If only observing, simply treat them as a person temporarily entering the controlled area. If planning to have the intern assist during a procedure, for example, then the intern must receive training in advance and have their dose level managed. Perform other medical safety management measures as well. However, under current laws and regulations, only properly qualified personnel are permitted to irradiate patients with radiation, regardless of the situation.
Though not specified in Japanese laws or regulations, the following is specified in IAEA Basic Safety Standards (BSS). Use these standards as a reference.
III-2. For occupational exposure of apprentices of 16 to 18 years of age who are being trained for employment involving radiation and for exposure of students of age 16 to 18 who use sources in the course of their studies, the dose limits are:
(a) An effective dose of 6 mSv in a year;
(b) An equivalent dose to the lens of the eye of 20 mSv in a year;
(c) An equivalent dose to the extremities (hands and feet) or the skin 65 of 150 mSv in a year.