All terms not defined herein shall have the meaning given them in the Act. As used in this part:

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Accreditation, as applied to an educational program, means recognition, by a State government or by a nongovernmental agency or association, of a specialized program of study as meeting or exceeding certain established qualifications and educational standards. As applied to a health care or educational institution, accreditation means recognition, by a State government or by a nongovernmental agency or association, of the institution as meeting or exceeding certain established standards or criteria for that type of institution.

Act means the Consumer-Patient Radiation Health and Safety Act of 1981, 42 U.S.C. §§ 10001–10008.

Continuing competency means the maintenance of knowledge and skills and/or demonstrated performance that are adequate and relevant to professional practice needs.

Credentialing means any process whereby a State Government or nongovernmental agency or association grants recognition to an individual who meets certain predetermined qualifications.

Dental hygienist means a person licensed by the State as a dental hygienist.

Dental assistant means a person other than a dental hygienist who assists a dentist in the care of patients.

Educational program means a set of formally structured activities designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter an occupation, with evaluation of student performance according to predetermined objectives.

Energized laboratory means any facility which contains equipment that generates ionizing radiation. This does not include facilities for training students when the equipment is not powered to emit ionizing radiation, e.g., practice in setting controls and positioning of patients.

Formal training means training or education, including either didactic or clinical practicum or both, which has a specified objective, planned activities for students, and suitable methods for measuring student attainment, and which is offered, sponsored, or approved by an organization or institution which is able to meet or enforce these criteria.

Ionizing radiation means any electromagnetic or particulate radiation (X-rays, gamma rays, alpha and beta particles, high speed electrons, neutrons, and other nuclear particles) which interacts with atoms to produce ion pairs in matter.

Licensed practitioner means a licensed doctor of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, podiatry, or chiropractic.

Licensure means the process by which an agency of State government grants permission to persons meeting predetermined qualifications to engage in an occupation.

Nuclear medicine technologist means a person other than a licensed practitioner who prepares and administers radio-pharmaceuticals to human beings and conducts in vivo or in vitro detection and measurement of radioactivity for medical purposes.

Permit means an authorization issued by a State for specific tasks or practices rather than the entire scope of practice in an occupation.

Radiation therapy technologist means a person other than a licensed practitioner who utilizes ionizing radiation-generating equipment for therapeutic purposes on human subjects.

Radiographer means an individual other than a licensed practitioner who (1) performs, may be called upon to perform, or who is licensed to perform a comprehensive scope of diagnostic radiologic procedures employing equipment which emits ionizing radiation, and (2) is delegated or exercises responsibility for the operation of radiation-generating equipment, the shielding of patient and staff from unnecessary radiation, the appropriate exposure of radiographs, or other procedures which contribute to any significant extent to the site or dosage of ionizing radiation to which a patient is exposed. Radiographers are distinguished from personnel whose use of diagnostic procedures is limited to a few specific body sites and/or standard procedures, from those personnel in other clinical specialties who may occasionally be called upon to assist in diagnostic radiology, and from those technicians or assistants whose activities do not, to any significant degree, determine the site or dosage of radiation to which a patient is exposed.

Radiologist means a physician certified in radiology by the American Board of Radiology or the American Osteopathic Board of Radiology.