2016 William McAdams Outstanding Service Award Acceptance

It feels awkward for me to receive such high recognition for something that I loved doing so much. Working on the Exam Panels, the Board and the Academy was a reward in itself because of the high quality of the product (i.e. Certification) and the people dedicated to its success. Reflecting back on those rewarding experiences got me to thinking about why ABHP Certification and the associated hard work of the Panels and Boards is so professionally satisfying. The author Daniel Pink wrote a book entitled "Drive - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us." [1] Pink describes three vital elements of intrinsic motivation that I believe are fully exemplified by the certification examination and the process of producing such a high quality product. These three elements are Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose.

Many studies have shown that people are happiest in jobs where they get to do what they do best at least part of their day and that provide a fair degree of autonomy[2]. Autonomy is satisfying because we have a significant degree of freedom in choosing what we do and how we choose to do it. This is an intrinsic value of being a professional. In that context, the ABHP Certification is a professional credential that enables access to jobs that provide such satisfaction in a field we love and where we get to do what we do best every day. A love of health physics is one of the things that brings us together here today.

Achieving the professional credential of ABHP Certification is a formal and widely acknowledged recognition of our mastery of the subject. The author Malcom Gladwell theorizes that mastery of any subject requires a minimum of 10,000 hours of preparation and practice[3]. Ten thousand hours is a lot. But when you consider two years of upper division classes or graduate studies, four years of professional working experience and time studying for the exam we are well above the 10,000 hours by the time we sit for the exam.

After all of that effort it is very discouraging for some when they don't pass the exam the first time and it is very natural for them to feel that the exam is too hard or isn't fair. "Mastery" of health physics does not come easy. Our field is vastly interdisciplinary and highly technical. Writing an examination for certification isn't easy either. Yes, the certification exam is a hard exam. But it is a fair exam! One of the things that I learned by serving on the exam panel and on the ABHP is the extraordinary efforts to which we go to make the exam as fair to the candidate as possible. And the examination process as it has evolved over the years is a marvelous living example of continuous improvement. I am convinced that a Master's thesis on continuous improvement could be written using our process as a case study.

This brings me to the third essential element "Purpose." I strongly encourage any of you who have the desire to please get involved in the certification process in some way whether it is contributing an exam question, serving on the Panel or Board, or getting on one of the committees or serving on the Academy. There is such great satisfaction that comes from serving a purpose that is greater than ourselves. The ABHP certification has endured as a model example of serving a higher purpose and is a legacy to William McAdams and the visionary founders of the certification. All of us feel that our professional and personal lives should have some meaning and that we can leave a legacy where we have done something to improve the lives of others. Serving with others who share that purpose and the wonderful and enduring friendships I have made has been immensely satisfying for me. I would like for each of you to feel that same joy.

Thank you so very much to all of you who supported my nomination and selection for the William A. McAdams award.