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Nuclear Medicine Technologists

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

Prepare, administer, and measure radioactive isotopes in therapeutic, diagnostic, and tracer studies using a variety of radioisotope equipment. Prepare stock solutions of radioactive materials and calculate doses to be administered by radiologists. Subject patients to radiation. Execute blood volume, red cell survival, and fat absorption studies following standard laboratory techniques.

Related: Cardiovascular Technologists & Technicians Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists Medical & Clinical Laboratory Technologists Radiation Therapists Radiologic Technologists & Technicians

Industries: Health & Counseling

Summary
Details

Detect and map radiopharmaceuticals in patients' bodies, using a camera to produce photographic or computer images.
Measure glandular activity, blood volume, red cell survival, or radioactivity of patient, using scanners, Geiger counters, scintillometers, or other laboratory equipment.
Train or supervise student or subordinate nuclear medicine technologists.
Maintain and calibrate radioisotope and laboratory equipment.
Record and process results of procedures.
Calculate, measure, and record radiation dosage or radiopharmaceuticals received, used, and disposed, using computer and following physician's prescription.
Produce a computer-generated or film image for interpretation by a physician.
Add radioactive substances to biological specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, to determine therapeutic drug or hormone levels.
Record and process results of procedures.
Process cardiac function studies, using computer.
Administer radiopharmaceuticals or radiation intravenously to detect or treat diseases, using radioisotope equipment, under direction of a physician.
Position radiation fields, radiation beams, and patient to allow for most effective treatment of patient's disease, using computer.
Calculate, measure, and record radiation dosage or radiopharmaceuticals received, used, and disposed, using computer and following physician's prescription.
Explain test procedures and safety precautions to patients and provide them with assistance during test procedures.
Develop treatment procedures for nuclear medicine treatment programs.
Perform quality control checks on laboratory equipment or cameras.
Train or supervise student or subordinate nuclear medicine technologists.
Position radiation fields, radiation beams, and patient to allow for most effective treatment of patient's disease, using computer.
Detect and map radiopharmaceuticals in patients' bodies, using a camera to produce photographic or computer images.
Gather information on patients' illnesses and medical history to guide the choice of diagnostic procedures for therapy.
Dispose of radioactive materials and store radiopharmaceuticals, following radiation safety procedures.
Dispose of radioactive materials and store radiopharmaceuticals, following radiation safety procedures.
Prepare stock radiopharmaceuticals, adhering to safety standards that minimize radiation exposure to workers and patients.
Prepare stock radiopharmaceuticals, adhering to safety standards that minimize radiation exposure to workers and patients.

Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Speaking
- Talking to others.
Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.
Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Administrative
- Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Education and Training
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Chemistry
- Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Administration and Management
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Education

Associate's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

121090/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

58.22/hr

Currently Employed

330

Yearly Projected Openings

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

Attention to Detail
Concern for Others
Dependability
Cooperation
Independence
Integrity

Blood collection syringes
Chart recorders
Desktop computers
Electrocardiography EKG units
Electronic blood pressure units
Eye shields
Flow sensors or regulators or components
Gamma counters
Goggles
Hypodermic needle
Intravenous infusion pumps for general use
Intravenous tubing with catheter administration kits
Laboratory tongs
Liquid scintillation counters
Medical computed tomography CT or CAT quality assurance or calibration phantoms or devices
Medical computed tomography CT or CAT scanners or tubes
Medical gamma cameras for general use
Medical imaging dry laser printers or imagers
Medical imaging wet darkroom or daylight processors
Medical linear accelerator intensity modulated radiation therapy IMRT collimators
Medical picture archiving computer systems PACS
Medical positron emission tomography PET units
Medical radiation dosimeters
Medical radiation films or badges
Medical radiological positioning aids for general radiological use
Medical radiological shielding aprons or masks or drapes
Medical radiological shielding gloves
Medical radiological shielding portable containers for radioactive materials
Medical single photon emission computed tomography SPECT units
Medical ultrasound bone densitometers
Microcentrifuges
Mobile medical services automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles
Notebook computers
Peripherally inserted central catheters PICC
Personal computers
Phantom dosimeters
Pulse oximeter units
Radiation detectors
Scintillation crystal assemblies
Specimen collection container
Spectrometers
Surgical isolation or surgical masks
Vacuum blood collection tubes or containers