What does a nuclear medicine technologist do?
The job of a nuclear medicine technologist is to examine how the body functions to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and medical conditions. These professionals perform various tasks that include preparing and administering radiopharmaceuticals and other medications to patients, monitoring a patient's physical condition during the procedure, and providing patient information, images, and data analysis for diagnosis and treatment. They are expected to answer patients' questions and explain the procedure to them. Nuclear medical technologists are also required to follow radiation safety procedures.
Nuclear medicine technologist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real nuclear medicine technologist resumes:
- Develop and lead training preparation for combat.
- Manage the design and synthesis of compounds by teams of CRO chemists working in concert with the internal teams.
- Certify in BLS and ACLS.
- General nuclear medicine exams, perform all QC, iv certify.
- General nuclear medicine exams, perform routine QC on equipment, iv certify.
- Review monthly employee exposure records and provide radiation protection education to employees to ensure reduce radiation exposure utilizing ALARA.
- Perform chemistry's MPI for effluents.
- Used NMR and HPLC-MS to analyze products.
- Apply prep- HPLC and ISCO combiflash for purifications.
- Obtain ICANL accreditation by enforcing policies and procedures.
- Measure and record plant chemistry and radioactivity levels.
- Maintain ICANL accreditation, by enforcing rules and regulations.
- Manufacture and production of FDG and NaF for patient use.
- Craft superior patient service through compassion, integrity, and friendly professionalism.
- Maintain cleanliness of all dog kennels, floors, dishes and laundry.
Nuclear medicine technologist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Nuclear Medicine Technologists are proficient in Patients, PET, and Radiopharmaceuticals. They’re also known for soft skills such as Ability to use technology, Analytical skills, and Compassion.
We break down the percentage of Nuclear Medicine Technologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 24%
Produced quality imaging, provided excellent customer service, and communicated effectively with patients, staff, and radiologists.
- PET, 11%
Developed and implemented a system for organizing archived PET data allowing an effortless method of retrieval for comparison studies.
- Radiopharmaceuticals, 7%
Prepared Radiopharmaceuticals including leukocyte and erythrocyte labeling.
- Radiology, 6%
Performed accurate nuclear medicine and radiology procedures while providing excellent customer service and patient care and submit results to the radiologist.
- Nuclear Medicine Procedures, 5%
Prepare and administer radioactive pharmaceuticals for nuclear medicine procedures; process and analyze images before sending to physicians for interpretation.
- Pacs, 3%
Assist in transporting and lifting vent patients -Utilize PC to enter and retrieve patient data, transfer studies to PACS system
Most nuclear medicine technologists use their skills in "patients," "pet," and "radiopharmaceuticals" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential nuclear medicine technologist responsibilities here:
Ability to use technology. One of the key soft skills for a nuclear medicine technologist to have is ability to use technology. You can see how this relates to what nuclear medicine technologists do because "nuclear medicine technologists work with computers and large pieces of electronic equipment and must be comfortable operating them." Additionally, a nuclear medicine technologist resume shows how nuclear medicine technologists use ability to use technology: "perform daily quality control procedures on gamma cameras, dose calibrator, and thyroid uptake probe. "
Analytical skills. Another essential skill to perform nuclear medicine technologist duties is analytical skills. Nuclear medicine technologists responsibilities require that "nuclear medicine technologists must understand anatomy, physiology, and other sciences to assess whether dosage is accurate." Nuclear medicine technologists also use analytical skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "performed radiopharmacy; planar and spect imaging; computer analysis; development of new protocols and thyroid function testing. "
Compassion. nuclear medicine technologists are also known for compassion, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to nuclear medicine technologist responsibilities, because "nuclear medicine technologists must be able to reassure patients who are stressed or upset." A nuclear medicine technologist resume example shows how compassion is used in the workplace: "crafted superior patient service through compassion, integrity, and friendly professionalism. "
Detail oriented. nuclear medicine technologist responsibilities often require "detail oriented." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "nuclear medicine technologists must follow instructions precisely to ensure correct dosage and prevent overexposure to radiation." This resume example shows what nuclear medicine technologists do with detail oriented on a typical day: "developed and nurtured a team-oriented mentality amongst the entire nuclear medicine and radiology staff. "
Interpersonal skills. A commonly-found skill in nuclear medicine technologist job descriptions, "interpersonal skills" is essential to what nuclear medicine technologists do. Nuclear medicine technologist responsibilities rely on this skill because "nuclear medicine technologists interact with patients and often work as part of a team." You can also see how nuclear medicine technologist duties rely on interpersonal skills in this resume example: "display competency in medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism, interpersonal communication, practice-based learning, and systems-based practice. "
Physical stamina. Another skill commonly found on nuclear medicine technologist job descriptions is "physical stamina." It can come up quite often in nuclear medicine technologist duties, since "nuclear medicine technologists must stand for long periods and be able to lift and move patients who need help." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day nuclear medicine technologist responsibilities: "conducted physical stress test via treadmill usage while monitoring ekg recordings. "
The three companies that hire the most nuclear medicine technologists are:
- HealthTrust60 nuclear medicine technologists jobs
- Tenet Healthcare31 nuclear medicine technologists jobs
- Trinity Health31 nuclear medicine technologists jobs
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Compare different nuclear medicine technologists
Nuclear medicine technologist vs. Cardiovascular technician
A cardiovascular technician is responsible for monitoring and administering treatment plans for patients with cardiovascular illnesses. Cardiovascular technicians operate various equipment and machinery to ensure the accuracy of diagnosis and determine the medical procedures to take. They also assist the doctors in performing medical operations, observing the patients' condition, and explaining the test findings to the patients. A cardiovascular technician keeps a record of medical charts for reference, as well as providing progress updates to the doctors and the patients' families.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between nuclear medicine technologists and cardiovascular technician. For instance, nuclear medicine technologist responsibilities require skills such as "radiopharmaceuticals," "radiology," "nuclear medicine procedures," and "pacs." Whereas a cardiovascular technician is skilled in "bls," "patient care," "acls," and "cardiovascular technologist." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that cardiovascular technicians earn slightly differ from nuclear medicine technologists. In particular, cardiovascular technicians are 1.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a nuclear medicine technologist. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Nuclear medicine technologist vs. Exercise specialist
An Exercise Specialist creates exercise plans designed to improve health for clients, such as those at high risk for heart, metabolic, or lung disease. They work at health clubs, hotels, gyms, and hospitals.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that nuclear medicine technologist responsibilities requires skills like "pet," "radiopharmaceuticals," "radiology," and "nuclear medicine procedures." But an exercise specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "rehabilitation," "patient care," "customer service," and "physical therapy."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Exercise specialists tend to reach higher levels of education than nuclear medicine technologists. In fact, they're 9.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Nuclear medicine technologist vs. Director of nuclear medicine
A Supervisor of Nuclear Medicine provides administrative oversight for the nuclear medical technology department of a hospital. They ensure compliance with departmental policies and procedures.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a nuclear medicine technologist is likely to be skilled in "patients," "therapeutic procedures," "safety standards," and "patient safety," while a typical director of nuclear medicine is skilled in "bls," "cpr," "clinical trials," and "biomarkers."
Directors of nuclear medicine typically earn higher educational levels compared to nuclear medicine technologists. Specifically, they're 9.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 5.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Nuclear medicine technologist vs. Supervisor nuclear medicine
Types of nuclear medicine technologist
Updated January 8, 2025
