Nuclear Medicine Technology was originally published on College Recruiter.
You probably have a good idea what an x-ray looks like. But an x-ray only shows the physical structures inside the body. Nuclear medical imaging reveals both the function and structure of internal organs. It’s used to diagnose, manage, treat, and prevent serious illnesses.
A Nuclear Medicine Technologist is the person who works with patients to administer procedures and who provides the results to physicians.
If you’d like to work in a medical setting, have direct patient contact, and earn a good salary, read on.
What exactly IS nuclear medicine? Nuclear medicine puts very small amounts of radioactive materials, known as radiopharmaceuticals or “tracers,” into a patient’s body and then uses special cameras to track the signals these materials emit. The cameras produce photographs or three-dimensional computer images that give doctors a picture of both the structure and the functioning of inner organs. The amount of radiation the patient receives is small, about the same as received from an x-ray. There are currently nearly 100 different nuclear medicine imaging procedures, with new technology continually under development.
Nuclear medicine is used for:
- Identification of tumors, areas of infection, or other disorders
- Diagnosis and treatment of hyper-thyroidism
- Cardiac stress tests to analyze heart function
- Bone scans for orthopedic injuries
- Lung scans for blood clots
- Liver and gall bladder procedures to diagnose abnormal function and blockages.
What would you do as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist?
- Explain the procedure to the patient
- Prepare and administer radiopharmaceuticals
- Position the patient
- Operate the camera, or “scanner”
- Produce the images on a film or computer screen for a physician to interpret
- Perform tests on blood, urine, or other specimens using radioactive materials to measure levels of hormones, drugs, or other substances
- Keep patient records and record the amount and type of radionuclides received, used, and then disposed of.
To advance in your career, you could become a supervisor, then a chief technologist, and then a department administrator or director. To move into teaching in the field, you would need a bachelor’s or master’s degree combined with certification and experience.
Where would you work? NMTs usually work in hospitals or outpatient clinics, though possibilities exist in research at universities, government institutes, or in manufacturing. You might have some evening and weekend or on- call hours. In 2004, median earnings were $56,450. Although the total number of positions is relatively small, the field is expected to grow as new techniques are developed and as the population ages.
How do you get from here to there? You may attend a two-year program to earn a certificate or an associate’s degree, or a four-year program to earn a bachelor’s degree. You’ll study anatomy, physiology, nuclear physics, chemistry, computer science, and radiopharmacy. You’ll also do clinical work. Look for programs that are nationally accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology. After graduating, you’ll want to take a voluntary certification exam administered by one of two national agencies. Many states also have their own licensing requirements.
For more information, check out the Societyfor Nuclear Medicine at www.snm.org.
Article courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com
