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Job outlook for nuclear medicine specialists in the United States
Are nuclear medicine specialist jobs in demand?
Nuclear medicine specialist job and salary trends over time
Nuclear medicine specialist jobs over time
Nuclear medicine specialist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 432 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 442 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 457 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 475 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 478 | 0.00% |
Average nuclear medicine specialist salary over time
Nuclear medicine specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $59,896 | $28.80 | +2.1% |
| 2025 | $58,661 | $28.20 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | $57,811 | $27.79 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $56,938 | $27.37 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $55,952 | $26.90 | +1.3% |
Nuclear medicine specialist jobs by state
Most common states for nuclear medicine specialists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 623,657 | 82 | 13% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 92 | 12% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 83 | 12% |
| 4 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 64 | 11% |
| 5 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 303 | 10% |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 139 | 10% |
| 7 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 135 | 10% |
| 8 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 85 | 10% |
| 9 | Alaska | 739,795 | 74 | 10% |
| 10 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 172 | 9% |
| 11 | Delaware | 961,939 | 90 | 9% |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 540 | 8% |
| 13 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 450 | 8% |
| 14 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 321 | 8% |
| 15 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 86 | 8% |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 394 | 7% |
| 17 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 194 | 7% |
| 18 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 147 | 7% |
| 19 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 94 | 7% |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 78 | 7% |
Most common cities for nuclear medicine specialists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowling Green | 1 | 2% | $50,306 |
| 2 | San Luis Obispo | 1 | 2% | $80,397 |
Nuclear Medicine Specialist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of nuclear medicine specialist experts
Rowan University
North Carolina Central University
Northwestern State University
American Public University System
Forsyth County, Georgia
Dr. Kate Seltzer Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorRowan University
Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural education
How would you rate the starting salaries for Nuclear Medicine Specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. Kate Seltzer Ph.D.: Educators are not paid nearly enough. However, working in a state with strong teachers' unions helps to ensure a starting salary that recent graduates can live off of and growth opportunities, albeit modest, over their careers.
Elisha Blankson
Program Director NCCU, Assistant ProfessorNorth Carolina Central University
Communication Disorders Department
What type of skills will young Nuclear Medicine Specialists need?
Elisha Blankson: Graduates will need a skill set about the field in which they received training and additional skills useful to the job market. For example, with the changing demographics in the United States, extra skills in information technology and foreign languages will be a plus when entering the job market.
How do you envision technology impacting Nuclear Medicine Specialists in the next 5 years?
Angela McKnight: Radiologic Sciences is ever-evolving with new and improved cutting-edge technology. New technologies allow for greater efficiency, lower public and occupational radiation dose, and enhanced image quality. This improves patient care and diagnosis, and it also makes radiologic sciences increasingly useful in healthcare. While it improves efficiency, it can also increase the need or use of imaging, which drives demand in the workforce. A Radiologic Sciences professional's job is not only to operate the equipment but (and possibly most importantly) to communicate with, care for, and position the patients to achieve high-quality diagnostic studies. This requires extensive knowledge of anatomy and hands-on training. Radiologic Sciences is as much an art as a science, and people are the driving force.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Nuclear Medicine Specialists?
Angela McKnight: The impacts of coronavirus on the healthcare industry will be studied for years to come. That said, I believe we will find that students who were in school or nearing graduation during this pandemic have shown remarkable resilience. Students nearing graduation are under a considerable amount of stress under normal circumstances. Students are completing their course requirements for graduation, scheduling to take the national registry, bringing the national registry, and job hunting during a pandemic would undoubtedly add pressure to graduates. I believe that looking forward; graduates will have a more sensible and realistic outlook on universal precautions and have a greater sense of purpose to help others.
Also, these graduates' job market should be stable in the Radiologic Sciences field, since health care workers are needed now more than ever. Because imaging sciences help evaluate the short- and long-term effects in coronavirus patients and survivors, it is incredibly relevant to fighting the pandemic.
Dr. Elizabeth Keavney Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorAmerican Public University System
Public Administration Department
How do you envision technology impacting Nuclear Medicine Specialists in the next 5 years?
Dr. Elizabeth Keavney Ph.D.: COVID-19 has increased the number of people who are working at home. This means a solid basic knowledge of telecommuting, and the ability to work unsupervised will be necessary. The ability to use remote security protocols, the cloud, and various software platforms will be required.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Nuclear Medicine Specialists to find work opportunities?
Donna Kukarola: This one, not so sure of, the southeast continues to see options as well as mid-western states.