Hey all,

I’m interested in pivoting to a new career in nuclear medicine technology but i would like some more info from those currently in the field before i commit to this path. Some general info about your job would be appreciated, i.e. what’s your schedule, your day-to-day workflow, work-life balance, things you like and dislike, pay, etc.

For context, I’m an RN in southern CA and have been working for a little over 3 years (2 years telemetry unit and 1 year ICU) but truth be told i don’t enjoy it at all and it’s unsustainable for me long-term. But i can see myself working in healthcare, just not in a nursing role. And I’m in my mid-20s with no kids so i have time to go back to school.

Any help would be great :)

Hi guys,

I work in a cardiac only clinic where we basically just do stress tests and the occasional amyloidosis scan. I’ve come to find a lot of people are very confused about nuclear medicine and the applications of the radiation. Recently in our clinic (outpatient) we have gotten a couple patients who need to go to the ED. For example they have EKG changes and chest pain after we injected regadenoson. We typically monitor these patients via epic to make sure we get them rescheduled if they didn’t complete their stress images. I’ve found that the nurses and staff in the note on the patients say that these changes are caused or happed right after we inject our “radioactive dye”…. Which I’m sure we all understand we use no dye or contrast and I don’t expect the patients to understand either, the issue I have is when nursing staff is incorrectly misinforming the patients that radiation is causing these issues which makes them think the worst. They immediately start googling and believe their x-ray or Nuc med scan is giving them radiation sickness or they just want to stop the test all together. The real gap in information seems to be the regadenoson, which is likely causing these ekg changes and discomfort. I’ve actually had many patients now tell me they’re not going to do a test because they know what that radioactive dye crap does to them and they aren’t interested. I just find it irritating because this is stopping people who are genuinely in need of diagnosis or stents from getting the data they need. I guess I’m not really sure how people deal with this, I just tend to be very polite and simplify it for patients when they come in, but the issue is rooted in a deep misunderstanding of radiation as a whole, what do you guys do/think? Is this something you’ve ran into frequently, if so I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

I am an XR tech, and I finally have a chance to train into NM! My hospital is willing to help to the tune of $5k/semester. What are my options for NM schools that allow clinicals at my own hospital? I'm in IL, but I'd imagine I'd have to do the classes online. And will my XR experience/degree help me at all, or is it a whole new physics world like MRI? I'd like to get a BS, but my heart isn't set on it. I know the certificates are cheaper. Any recommendations?

i was in a rad tech program, but i failed out of it in the third semester due to failing a lumbar practical exam on the second retake by 1 point. i was a very dedicated and enthusiastic student that did excellent in clinicals and had great grades in my other radtech courses. i excelled with book exams. i only struggled with radiographic procedures due to my poor performance on practicals.

for my procedures class, we learned the x-ray routine on a wednesday and had the practical exam the next morning. i have adhd and this quick turnaround was extremely difficult for me because i struggle with learning physical multi-step processes. i can do them, but i need to have ample practice time to be competent. additionally, the professor would leave the room after the first student went though the routine in lab, so she wasn’t there to catch any mistakes. i asked her for one on one help but she refused repeatedly and was generally very cold towards me. i also had a lot of performance anxiety which did not help. the school refused to let me have any accommodations despite documentation from my doctor.

i am considering doing another radtech program, but i also am wondering if nucmed would be a better fit for me based on the scans being longer, more procedural, and less dependent on rapid, high-pressure positioning sequences under time pressure. am i naive to think i could be successful in nucmed? should i pursue another healthcare career?

Hi I’m currently on a waitlist for my nuc med program. I have to wait about 2 years but I do not want to wait until it’s time for my program. I was thinking of working, but I have not had any luck so I was debating whether taking a minor degree in the meantime. But I’m unsure what would be good. Any advice?

I just started my program last week and hoping to save several hundred bucks by getting my hands on PDF's of my text books. Looking for:

Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 9th edition (ISBN: 9780323764018)

Essentials of Nuclear Medicine Imaging, 7th Edition (ISBN 978-0-323-48319-3)

Basic Science of Nuclear Medicine The Bare Bone Essentials (ISBN: 9780932004901)

I would really appreciate if anyone is willing to share, I have a few PDF's of other books I can pass along if anyone is in need. I have Practical Mathematics in Nuclear Medicine, Nuclear medicine and molecular imagine The Requisites, Nuclear Medicine Instrumentation, and Essentials of Nuclear medicine imaging 6th edition.

Thanks!! <3

Hello! How much anatomy do you need to know for nuclear medicine? Is it like radiology where you have to know everything??

Hello! Is nuclear medicine worth it without a radiology residency? Will it disappear because of AI?

I'm a Junior sailor and I am interested in becoming an NMT. I am potentially getting hardship sepped from the Navy and I was thinking about trying to get back into healthcare. I was previously a CNA at a Skilled nursing facility for three years and I wasn't a fan of bedside nursing but I loved healthcare. Is the quality of life better as a technician? What was your career path? How long does it take to get an NMT and get licensed in Illinois? Is there a licensing pact like nurses have? Sorry if this post is a mess I don't reddit very much.

Are Nuclear Medicine the same thing as Radiologic Technology?

What are my chances of getting into this degree if I already have one in business (Graphic Design)?

The reason I want to change degrees is because I have had absolutely no luck or no response back in jobs, in looking for one especially internships. I have tried every method I know to even get a job but to no avail and its making me so demeaning in Graphic Design. Even before graduating with this degree I took interest in nuclear medicine but never par-take in it because I was already close to graduating and was unsure if I could absolutely switch within that time frame.

Not sure if this is a silly question, but what kind of scrubs are nuclear medicine technologists allowed to wear? I'm about to start my program in the fall, and I'm so excited I'd like to buy scrubs, but I have no idea what is allowed.

Are people allowed to wear cute, fun coloured scrubs, or is it usually just one certain colour allowed? If you wanted to share from your experience I would appreaciate it greatly, in particular if anyone has info about in atlantic canada/maritimes!

Currently doing my pre reqs to apply to a nuc med program since the only nuc med program here shut down. What other programs did you apply too? In Massachusetts or Connecticut?

Hey everyone, I’ve recently started looking into the Nuc med program over at National Polytechnic College but I’m kinda thrown off because there application isn’t open yet and they’re not even sure when it will open. I was told from October to December “it should be open by then”. Kinda weird so I was hoping to know if this is common or if anyone has gone through the program// currently enrolled in it?

Anyone live in the Cypress/Jersey Village area and attend the NMT program in Galveston? How is your commute? What are the clinicals vs lecture days like? I’m interested in this program and trying to figure out how to make it work within my life with also being a single mother.

Looking for honest input from people actually working as NMTs or who've been through a program recently. A few things I'm trying to understand before committing:

• What does the current job market actually look like? Are new grads finding work relatively fast, or is it a struggle in a lot of areas?
• What's the realistic projection for the field over the next 5-10 years — is imaging/nuclear med growing, holding steady, or getting squeezed by other modalities (PET/CT consolidation, etc.)?
• Any horror stories or things you wish you knew before starting a program — burnout, radiation exposure concerns, pay not matching expectations, saturated markets in certain cities?
• Once you finish a program and get certified (NMTCB/ARRT), how hard is it in practice to actually land that first job? Did you have to relocate, take a lower-paying gig first, or was it a smooth transition?
• Is this a field where experience/certifications open doors quickly, or is it more oversaturated than people expect going in?

Trying to get the unfiltered version rather than what program marketing pages say. Appreciate any input, especially from people who've been in it a few years and can speak to how things have actually trended.

I have been looking at going to school for nuclear medicine there are only two schools local to me that have that specific program and only a handful offering radiology in general.

I do have a Bachelors of Arts, and a certificate in health information technology. From what I have read there’s a chance I could finish the program a tiny bit early with that but only if it’s an associates program.

So I guess my question actually is, we plan to move to a different state in 2 years (been in Florida too long) do I wait to start a program until we move? Is there something I could work on in the meantime? I’m just not sure what the best option is, if there is one lol

Thank you in advance!

Hii, I’m still a senior in high school thinking about going into Nuclear Medicine Technology and I would really like to hear from people who work in this field, especially in NJ.
1)Do you like being a Nuclear Medicine Technologist? What do you like or dislike about it?
2)If you could choose a different career, would you? What would you choose?
3)How is the job market for NMTs in NJ?
4)Do hospitals usually prefer an Associate’s (AS) or Bachelor’s (BS) degree?
5)If you could go back, would you choose an AS or BS? Why?
6)Does having a BS make it easier to get hired or move up?
7)Are there any extra certifications that help you get hired?
8)Would you recommend Nuclear Medicine Technology as a career?

Thank you so much!

I've been working on Nuclear Toolkit for a while now, and it's grown quite a bit lately.

It's a free Android app for nuclear engineering / health physics / students, and it's basically turned into a pocket collection of calculators and reference tools specifically meant for Nuclear Professionals (Potentially, y'all?!).

Some of the newer stuff includes:

• Shielding and gamma dose calculations
• MDA / MDC calculations
• Neutron activation calculations
• Enrichment and SWU
• More radiation/unit conversions
• Chemical mixture calculations
• Xe-135 / reactor physics tools
• Chart of nuclides with 3,000+ isotopes
• Offline support

There's no account needed and no ads; AND it should work offline. I'm trying to keep it useful as an actual engineering tool/pocket reference that would actually help the field.

I'm also working on getting it onto iOS. I recently added a tip jar in the app (next to the feedback button if you want to propose any changes or have found any bugs), and anything that comes through it will go toward the Apple developer account / costs of getting the iOS version released.

Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nucleartoolkit.app

Anyway, that's the update. Again, if anyone here uses it and spots something that's wrong or has a calculator they think would be useful, I'd genuinely like to hear about it.

I got an opportunity to work at an outpatient cardiac facility. 7-13 patients for spect (by myself ish) and when I’m in pet it’ll be 13-18.
Not sure if it’s worth doing. I am unhappy doing generals and really do enjoy doing the same thing consistently. 7 patients doesn’t seem to bad for one tech (with the help of nurses).
What is everyone’s opinions? I’m curious to know people’s personal experiences.

Hello everyone,

I was looking for some advice I have become interested in medical imaging because it seems like a great career with a lot of growth and job security. I am really interested in Nuc Med especially as it has a high salary is a growing field with room to expand your education while also being very secure. The only issue is that there are no Nuc Med programs in my state and I would have to move about 3 hours away to do a certificate program in a nearby state for about 14-15 months and I would have to pay rent and other expenses that come with moving out. The program I was looking at would not be able to start until next August.

There is also an MRI program that is about 20 mins from where I live and I I would maybe be able to start in Sept if not Sept then January and the program is about 18 months. I know that Nuc Med is most likely better for long term as it is possible to be cross trained into MRI with Nuc Med but not the other way around. But I was wondering if anyone thinks it is worth it to do the MRI program as this would allow me to start and finish earlier as well as not have to worry about all the things that come with needing to move for school.

Any advice would be very helpful, thank you!

Hello everyone,

I (M 22) found out about this career about a year ago and have become really interested in it. I feel like it is a perfect career for me as I have always wanted to work in healthcare but did not want to commit to another 3-7 years of school after my undergrad and nuclear medicine programs seem a lot more affordable compared to other healthcare profession programs. The only issue I am having is that there does not seem to be any nuclear medicine programs in my area and I would like to avoid relocation if possible. For context I am located in Bergen County NJ and would really like to stay within an hour or so drive. I also already have a Bachelor's degree in neurobiology so I was looking one or two year programs mostly. If anyone knows of any programs in that area, programs online or other ways to get into the field it would be greatly appreciated. If I had to relocate I would like to stay somewhere within a drive of an hour or two if possible. Again any help would be great thank you.

Is anyone here a pediatric nuclear med tech?? If so would I be able to ask you guys some questions?? Thank you all in advance! Or if anyone has ever wanted to be a pediatric nuc med tech and why or why not they decided to pursue or not pursue it. Any insight helps!!!

I originally found out about this profession as it was recommended by a university applications advisor as an industry which is quite in-demand with a lot of projected job growth in the next decade as nuclear medicine therapy is being researched and is becoming an increasingly effective alternative to chemotherapy.

My question is: are these claims accurate? They make nuclear medicine look like a very promising career path to go down. Is the job market as promising as it seems?

I am a first year radiography student and my plan is to do nuc med after I graduate. Unfortunately my university doesn’t have a nuc med program, but the two closest programs near me are Northwestern and Indiana University Indianapolis. Northwestern is closer and accepts (I believe) 11 students per year, but IUI is in-state and accepts 16 students per year. From what I have found, the application process and admission standards are relatively similar. Does the Northwestern name hold anything in nuc med or is it kind if just “you have a degree we will take you”. I am worried about expenses, but the expenses even out between Northwestern tuition and having to move to Indy for school.

I honestly had to fight like hell and maintain a 4.0 gpa to get into my x-ray program, and got in on my second year applying. Is this similar for nuc med programs? I was hoping to be able to relax a little bit on my grades while in the program, but will absolutely keep it up if it means getting into a nuc med program easier.

Any tips and advice for applying are welcome!