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Nuclear medicine is a new and fascinating field. In Nuclear medicine you look at both the physiology (functioning) and the anatomy in establishing diagnosis
and treatment. Nuclear medicine uses radioactive
substances to image body and treat disease. This
is what I want to do with my life. In this profession you get the best of both
worlds, you get to image and help diagnose the patient as well as to help treat the patient in some instances as well.
Nuclear medicine imaging techniques give medical professionals a way
to view the inside of the body without exploratory surgery. The techniques used
combine computers, detectors and radioactive substances. These techniques are
positron emission tomography (PET), Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), bone scanning and cardiovascular imaging. Nuclear medicine imaging is used in detecting tumors, aneurysms, irregular or inadequate
blood flow to various tissues, blood cell disorders and inadequate functioning of organs.
A lot of people seem to have a problem with the fact that
you will be working with and injecting people with radioactive substances but, that intrigues me. This is the way I look at it after research; if their was
a real danger in performing this procedure the government wouldn’t allow it and if the injection was going to hurt the
patient it also would not be allowed. This use of radioactive materials is highly
regulated and safe. I have no worries.
To become a nuclear medicine technologist you need to compete
two years of schooling. For example Santa Fe Community College
has an excellent Nuclear Medicine program. Also, upon completion of the program
you have to pass a registry exam. Most people would think this is easy, they
are wrong. Not only are the programs highly competitive to get into, the classes
are even harder and your peers are even more competitive. I hope to apply to
this program late this spring and with a little luck and some hard work be accepted this fall and complete the program in
the wonderful year of 2008.
Jobs are not easy to find in this area but also not a burden. There are several jobs available in this area but I am not worried with this area. Upon graduating I plan to move to Jacksonville
and work at a children’s hospital. The job openings there are phenomenal. Because it is a bigger city there are more jobs to offer well, because there are more
hospitals. Even if I have to work at a regular hospital for a few years before
I can work with children it will be well worth it in the end. Most children’s
hospitals want the experience anyway. But, it will be well worth it in the end.
Nuclear
medicine is my ideal job in the fact that you get to help people without having to deal with the nasty stuff (blood, guts,
bodily secretions, and vomit). Yuk! I
have always had a calling to help people and with this combination of treatment with diagnostic testing I get the best of
both worlds. I am very excited about applying to the program and about starting
a career in this field. And hey, it doesn’t pay badly either.
How does this career
fit into your lifestyle? Or will it take over your life? Can you live on the salary? Do you have a family?
Plan to have one? How secure do you feel in your job-seeking ability? Are you going for an occupation that "guarantees"
steady employment, or are you willing to "make your way" in the job market? Is the training you plan to complete likely
to lead to immediate employment? More training? Both? For more suggestions, click here.
A.) Job Descriptions
How Stuff Works, How Nuclear Medicine Works, on the Internet at http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-medicine.htm (visited September 7, 2005), last updated 2005.
Wikipedia, Nuclear Medicine, on the Internet at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_medicine (visited September 7, 2005), last updated September 2005
Career Planner, Job Description, on the internet at http://www.careerplanner.com/Job_Descriptios/Nuclear-Medicine-Technologist.cfm (visited September 7, 2005), last updated 2004.
College Grad, Career Info, On the internet at http://www.collegegrad.com/career.prof96.shtml (visited September 7, 2005) last updated 2005.
B.) Professional Organizations
Society of Nuclear Medicine, on the Internet at http://interactive.snm.org/index.cfm?pageid=10&rpid=1977 (visited September 7, 2005), last updated January 2005.
The British Nuclear Medicine Society, on the Internet at http://www.bnms.org.uk/ (visited September 7, 2005), last updated September 2005.
C.) Schools, Colleges
and Universities
Santa Fe Community College, Nuclear Medicine Technology, on
the Internet at http://inst.sfcc.edu/~health/nucmed/ (visited September 7, 2005), last updated August 2005.
York College, Nuclear Medicine Technology, on the internet
at http://www.ycp.edu/academics/486.htm (visited September 7, 2005), last updated January 2005.
D.) Employers
Keiser Permanente, Job Postings, on the internet at http://www.kaiserpermanente.jobs.org/workinghere/speciality-imaging.asp?engine=sitematch&group=kp-jobs (visited on September 7, 2005), last updated 2005
Shands Health Care, Job Postings, on the internet at https://jobs.shands.org/servlets/iclientservlet/u90h/?cmd=start (visited on September 11, 2005), last updated 2004
Aureus Medical Group, Job Seekers, on the internet at http://www.aureusmedical.com/html/diagnostic_imaging/nuclear_med.shtml (visited on September, 11 2005), last updated 2005
E.) Non-Web Source
Christian, Paul. Nuclear medicine and PET: technology and techniques. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, 2004. Call number: R895 .N84
2004.
Cherry, Simon R. Physics in nuclear medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders, 2003. Call number: R895 .S58 2003.
Mettler, Fred A. Essentials of nuclear medicine imaging. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders, 1998. Call number: RC78.7.R4 M47
1998.
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