September 27, 2011
Hot job: Nuclear medicine technologists
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Trang Pham is a nuclear medical technologist at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. (Dean Forbes / Seattle Cancer Care Alliance)
The job: Nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs) administer radiopharmaceuticals to patients and then monitor the tissues and organs in which the drugs localize. They operate cameras to detect and map the radioactive drug in the patient’s body to create diagnostic images.
A Seattleite at work: Trang Pham at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance says she chose to become an NMT because she enjoys working in the medical field and interacting with patients. “Nuclear medicine can be involved with many different clinical and research imaging studies that can detect cancer progression and remission,” she says. “It feels good to know that I am part of the bigger picture.”
Outlook: Employment of nuclear medicine technologists is expected to increase by 16 percent from 2008 to 2018, faster than the average for all occupations.
Pay: The 240 NMTs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area earned a median wage of $83,600 in 2009.
Training: Nuclear medicine technology programs range in length from one to four years and lead to a certificate, an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree. Bellevue College offers an 18-month program. Washington requires NMTs to be certified and licensed.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, NWjobs staff
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J on September 30, 2011 10:12 AM | Reply
Hmm... From everything I've heard, nuc med jobs are getting scarce due to the worldwide shortage of tech-99 isotope used in many studies. The NMTs where I work bafely work full weeks and a lot of them are concerned about their job outlook. Thia story seems more than a little inaccurate.
NM on October 3, 2011 11:27 AM | Reply
I concur. Nuclear Medicine is definitly in a slump right now, with new grads lucky to get per diem positions. The Tc99m shortage is no longer an issue. The main causes affecting the shortage are reimbursment issues and the baby boomer population delaying retirement due to the economy - which I totally understand. Surprised to see this in the paper right now, but I'm sure the time will come when demand picks up again, just not sure it will be anytime soon.