The Bureau is sponsoring a free, one day class in Florida in 2013. The training is for those professionals who want to assist with monitoring people for contamination following a large scale radiological event, such as the detonation of a "dirty" bomb. Registration for new classes is now open. Visit the RRVC course registration page for more information. (12/5/12)

A link to the new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) On The Use Of Radionuclides In The Healing Arts page has been added on the Radioactive Materials home page. This FAQs page was created to help answer questions from Florida radioactive material licensees and other interested parties. (7/27/10)

A new Chapter 64E-5, Revision 10, FAC, effective February 11, 2010, has been posted on the Chapter 64E-5 page. For a summary of the new requirements, see Information Notice 2010-01. For a copy of just the replacement pages, see Revision 10, Replacement Pages. The purpose of Revision 10 is to maintain required compatibility with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the medical use of radioactive materials and temporary jobsite requirements. Some proposed amendments will clarify how the department recognizes out-of-state licensees using materials in Florida. Others will establish or change rules regarding training and experience requirements for users, requirements for use and calibration of high dose rate remote afterloaders, and gamma stereotactic radiosurgery units. We have tried to change the regulations so that existing licensees will not need to amend their radioactive materials license to comply and to have as little impact on licensee daily operations as possible. (2/11/10)

A new law Chapter 2012-168, Laws of Florida modifying Chapter 468, Part IV, Florida Statutes, took effect on July 1, 2012. The changes to Chapter 468 allow the department to write regulations to issue new types of radiologic technologist licenses in advanced, post-primary or specialty areas such as computed tomography (CT). The department has been working with the state Advisory Council on Radiation Protection, and the national radiologic technology registries and professional societies to select the new license types. The four new types of licensure currently envisioned are: CT, Mammography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). To qualify for the new license, an applicant must first obtain national certification in the category being sought and then apply to the department by endorsement. No state exam pathway for licesnure will be required or permited by law. And the new license types are not mandatory - so technologists that were not previously required by law to be licensed in their specialty area of practice won't be required to obtain the new specialty licensure.
The department is currently seeking approval to post the new draft regulations (to Chapter 64E-3, Florida Administrative Code) and application forms on the Florida Administrative Register web site sometime over the next 30 days. The draft regulations and forms will then be available for public comment for several weeks. The process of posting, responding to any comments, making any necessary changes to the regulations, and submitting to the Department of State for final adoption can take several months. If all goes well and no changes to the draft regs are needed, the department should be able to start accepting applications for CT, mammography, and MRI in about 3-4 months. PET licensure will take a few months longer than that because the department can't start the regulation process for PET until after the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) (the national society for PET licensure) issues its final practice standards for PET licensure (currently in development).(1/3/13)

A new Regulatory Guide 1.30, Revision 4, "Guide for the Preparation of Applications for Medical Use Programs" has been posted on the Radioactive Materials Forms & Documents page. The guide identifies the information needed to complete Department of Health Form DH 1322 when applying for a license for a medical use program. This guide does not apply to generally licensed material or academic programs that do not use radioactive material for medical use. (4/11/13)

A link to the new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) On The Use Of Radionuclides In The Healing Arts page has been added on the Radioactive Materials home page. This FAQs page was created to help answer questions from Florida radioactive material licensees and other interested parties. (7/27/10)

Information Notice 2010-3, "Industrial Radiography Reporting Requirements" has been posted on the Radioactive Materials Forms & Documents page. This notice describes a clarification of the 24 hour notification requirement for an event in which the sealed source assembly did not return to the fully shielded position within the exposure device. (4/12/10)

Information Notice 2010-2, "Technetium 99m Shortage and the Calibration of Dose Calibrators" has been posted on the Radioactive Materials Forms & Documents page. This notice describes a temporary exemption from certain regulatory requirements pertaining to dose calibrators, due to the national shortage of molybdenum-99. (3/12/10)

A new Chapter 64E-5, Revision 10, FAC, effective February 11, 2010, has been posted on the Chapter 64E-5 page. For a summary of the new requirements, see Information Notice 2010-01. For a copy of just the replacement pages, see Revision 10, Replacement Pages. The purpose of Revision 10 is to maintain required compatibility with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the medical use of radioactive materials and temporary jobsite requirements. Some proposed amendments will clarify how the department recognizes out-of-state licensees using materials in Florida. Others will establish or change rules regarding training and experience requirements for users, requirements for use and calibration of high dose rate remote afterloaders, and gamma stereotactic radiosurgery units. We have tried to change the regulations so that existing licensees will not need to amend their radioactive materials license to comply and to have as little impact on licensee daily operations as possible. (2/11/10)

A new Regulatory Guide 3.5, "Preceptor Attestation for Medical Authorized Users" has been posted on the Radioactive Materials Forms & Documents page. This is a required guide to document a physician's training and experience with radioactive materials to become an authorized user listed on a Human - Medical Use Radioactive Materials License. (2/11/10)

A new law Chapter 2012-168, Laws of Florida modifying Chapter 468, Part IV, Florida Statutes, took effect on July 1, 2012. The changes to Chapter 468 allow the department to write regulations to issue new types of radiologic technologist licenses in advanced, post-primary or specialty areas such as computed tomography (CT). The department has been working with the state Advisory Council on Radiation Protection, and the national radiologic technology registries and professional societies to select the new license types. The four new types of licensure currently envisioned are: CT, Mammography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). To qualify for the new license, an applicant must first obtain national certification in the category being sought and then apply to the department by endorsement. No state exam pathway for licesnure will be required or permited by law. And the new license types are not mandatory - so technologists that were not previously required by law to be licensed in their specialty area of practice won't be required to obtain the new specialty licensure.
The department is currently seeking approval to post the new draft regulations (to Chapter 64E-3, Florida Administrative Code) and application forms on the Florida Administrative Register web site sometime over the next 30 days. The draft regulations and forms will then be available for public comment for several weeks. The process of posting, responding to any comments, making any necessary changes to the regulations, and submitting to the Department of State for final adoption can take several months. If all goes well and no changes to the draft regs are needed, the department should be able to start accepting applications for CT, mammography, and MRI in about 3-4 months. PET licensure will take a few months longer than that because the department can't start the regulation process for PET until after the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) (the national society for PET licensure) issues its final practice standards for PET licensure (currently in development).(1/3/13)

A current list of approved radiologic technology educational programs, is available.(12/5/12)

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) offers a service for ASRT members who are licensed in Florida. At no extra charge, ASRT is transferring all CE credits that Florida technologists earn from ASRT Directed Readings and other ASRT-sponsored CE courses, to the Florida Department of Health. These credits will then automatically be used to meet the 12 CE hour requirement for license renewal in Florida, since these ASRT courses are Florida-approved CE. To check whether your CE credits have been transferred, go to the Florida online license verification, lookup your Florida license, and click on your CE tab. The transfer automatically takes place on about the 15th of each month, so please allow an appropriate amount of time for the credits to appear. (12/5/12)

The Bureau is sponsoring a free, one day class in Florida in 2013. The training is for those professionals who want to assist with monitoring people for contamination following a large scale radiological event, such as the detonation of a "dirty" bomb. Registration for new classes is now open. Visit the RRVC course registration page for more information. (12/5/12)

A new Japanese Radiation Accident Information page has been created to provide a centralized information resource to help answer questions about the accident, the radiation released, monitoring, and recommendations for the public. The information comes from a variety of sources, including government agencies, professional societies, and others. (3/31/11)

A new article, Medical Response to a Major Radiologic Emergency: A Primer for Medical and Public Health Practitioners in the March 2010 issue of Radiology is now available here in PDF. This article describes the medical responses needed following a radiologic or nuclear incident, including the symptoms of and specific treatments for acute radiation syndrome and other early health effects. The Bureau wishes to thank the article's authors and the Radiology staff for recognizing the importance of this article to the public health, medical and emergency response communities, and for granting permission to make the article available via our web site. Citation: Wolbarst A B, Wiley Jr. A L, Nemhauser J B, et al. Medical response to a major radiologic emergency: a primer for medical and public health practitioners. Radiology 2010;254:660-677. (8/9/10)

No recent changes.