Nuclear Medicine Technology

Cesar Bugarin, Nuclear Medicine Graduate
The Nuclear Medicine program isn’t easy. You can’t slack and it takes time and effort, but the College’s mission is to make you the best you can be, not to fail you or get rid of you. They believe that after the application process, you’ve earned your place in the program, and they want you to accomplish your goals. The Nuclear Medicine field is wide open, and the classes are small, so there’s a great possibility of finding work. The program is challenging to get in, but you’ll fall in love with it. It’s different here than in other schools; you do clinicals right off the bat with hands-on immersion that gives you experience quickly.

If you have a keen interest in the health sciences and computer technology and are looking for a people-oriented career, consider Nuclear Medicine Technology!

Nuclear Medicine Technology combines chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer technology, and medicine in using radioactivity to diagnose and treat disease. Though there are many diagnostic techniques currently available, nuclear medicine uniquely provides information about both the structure and function of virtually every major organ system within the body. It is this ability to characterize and quantify physiologic function which separates nuclear medicine from other imaging modalities, such as x-ray. Nuclear medicine procedures are safe; they involve little or no patient discomfort and do not require the use of anesthesia.

The Nuclear Medicine Technologist is a highly specialized healthcare professional who works closely with the nuclear medicine physician. Some of the technologist’s primary responsibilities are to:

Prepare and administer radioactive chemical compounds, known as radiopharmaceuticals
Perform patient imaging procedures using sophisticated radiation-detecting instrumentation
Accomplish computer processing and image enhancement
Analyze biologic specimens in the laboratory
Provide images, data analysis, and patient information to the physician for diagnostic interpretation.