Nuclear Medicine Technologists
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.
- Median pay
- $101,370
- Doing it now
- 17,400
- By 2035
- Up 4.4%
- Usually needs
- Associate's degree
a year
across the country
800 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Calculate, measure, and record radiation dosage or radiopharmaceuticals received, used, and disposed, using computer and following physician's prescription.
- Detect and map radiopharmaceuticals in patients' bodies, using a camera to produce photographic or computer images.
- Explain test procedures and safety precautions to patients and provide them with assistance during test procedures.
- Produce a computer-generated or film image for interpretation by a physician.
- Process cardiac function studies, using computer.
- Dispose of radioactive materials and store radiopharmaceuticals, following radiation safety procedures.
- Record and process results of procedures.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsSee 589 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Analytical and curious
Organised and precise
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $101,370 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.