Reactor Operators: What it Takes To Do This Important Job
At
first glance, the list seems surprising: Among professions that can
earn $100,000 a year without a college degree are massage therapists,
personal trainers, executive pastry chefs and nuclear reactor operators.
The list from
PayScale.com has
been touted in several NBC News reports. These reports stressed that
all of the professions required extensive training and certification as
well as years of experience before anyone could expect a six-figure
salary. But what does that mean specifically for reactor operators?
The NRC issues two types of licenses to control room personnel
qualified to operate a commercial nuclear power plant facility – i.e.,
the nuclear reactor. These are reactor operators (ROs), responsible for
manipulating the controls of nuclear reactors, and senior reactor
operators (SROs), who direct the licensed activities of ROs. Applicants
for an RO license must have at least three years of power plant
experience, including at least six months at the plant where they are
currently employed (and seek a license) and at least six months as a
non-licensed operator. SRO applicants also must have at least 18 months
experience as a qualified non-licensed operator or as a plant staff
engineer or manager involved in the daily activities associated with
operating a commercial nuclear power plant facility.
RO candidates are not required to have a college degree, as long as
they have the necessary experience and training. A college degree in
engineering, engineering technology, or related sciences is typically
required for anyone testing directly for an SRO license – with the
exception that with at least one a year of active experience as a RO at a
commercial power reactor facility they may take the SRO exam, whether
or not they have a college degree.
Applicants for both licenses must complete rigorous training provided
by the facility licensee (utility) before taking the NRC’s hours-long
written examination and operating test. Once licensed, there are
continuing training requirements per the facility’s NRC-approved
requalification training program. ROs and SROs must pass a
facility-administered operating test every year and a written
examination every two years to maintain their license status.
Some of these experience requirements can be met through military
service – in general, an applicant can receive six months credit for
every year’s experience working at a military propulsion plant such as a
nuclear-powered warship. It’s also important to note that reactor
operators work for the commercial nuclear power plant owners, not the
NRC, although it’s the NRC license that makes them eligible to do the
job.
The licensing process for reactor operators is described in detail on the
NRC website.
So while you don’t need a B.S. in Physics or a B.E. in Nuclear
Engineering, to become a licensed nuclear reactor operator, you do have
to meet extremely tough standards in experience and knowledge before
being able to take the controls of a nuclear power plant as an RO or
SRO.
John Munro
Senior Reactor Engineer
