Information Provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
About 7 out of 10 work in hospitals. Nuclear medicine technology programs range in length from 1 to 4 years and lead to a certificate, an associate degree, or a bachelors degree. Faster than average growth will arise from an increase in the number of middle-aged and elderly persons, who are the primary users of diagnostic procedures. The number of job openings each year will be relatively low because the occupation is small; technologists who also are trained in other diagnostic methods, such as radiologic technology or diagnostic medical sonography, will have the best prospects.
On average, Nuclear Medicine Technologists earn $ 62,300 per year.
Job Opportunities for Nuclear Medicine Technologists are expected to:
Increase faster than average.
Diagnostic imaging embraces several procedures that aid in diagnosing ailments, the most familiar being the x ray. In nuclear medicine, radionuclidesunstable atoms that emit radiation spontaneouslyare used to diagnose and treat disease. Radionuclides are purified and compounded to form radiopharmaceuticals. Nuclear medicine technologists administer radiopharmaceuticals to patients and then monitor the characteristics and functions of tissues or organs in which the drugs localize. Abnormal areas show higher-than-expected or lower-than-expected concentrations of radioactivity.
Nuclear medicine technology programs range in length from 1 to 4 years and lead to a certificate, an associate degree, or a bachelors degree. Many employers and an increasing number of States require certification or licensure. Aspiring nuclear medicine technologists should check the requirements of the State in which they plan to work.
Nuclear medicine technologists held about 20,000 jobs in 2006. About 67 percent of all nuclear medicine technologists jobs were in hospitalsprivate and government. Most of the rest were in offices of physicians or in medical and diagnostic laboratories, including diagnostic imaging centers.
