Nuclear technicians administer radiopharmaceuticals to patients and use imaging equipment to measure the activity of radionuclides in the body for disease treatment or identification. They require significant training and education, and can be classified as diagnostic or treatment technicians, nuclear cardiology technicians, or PET technicians. All nuclear technician jobs require careful attention to detail to protect the patient and technician from overexposure to radiation.
Nuclear technicians’ jobs involve administering radiopharmaceuticals—substances that emit small but measurable radioactivity—to patients and measuring that activity as radionuclides in subsequent imaging tests to treat or identify disease. After oral, nasal, or intravenous administration, the radiopharmaceuticals are absorbed into various tissues depending on their designed function, and then a variety of sophisticated cameras are used to image the resulting uptake or metabolism of the radionuclides in the body. In the US, approximately half of nuclear technician jobs require minimal associate degree preparation to enter the field, and nearly a quarter of positions are held by technicians with a bachelor’s degree. Nuclear technician jobs are complex and require significant training and education. The various types of nuclear technicians can be classified as diagnostic or treatment technicians, nuclear cardiology technicians, or positive emission tomography (PET) technicians.
Depending on the size of the facility they work in, nuclear technicians may work primarily as diagnostic nuclear technicians or nuclear therapeutics. Nuclear diagnostic technician jobs involve administering radiopharmaceuticals to patients and measuring the absorption of the material into the body. When compared to a healthy scan, the diagnosis of different diseases can be made based on the increase or decrease of radioactivity in the studied area. Therapeutic nuclear technicians administer radiopharmaceuticals, primarily in oncology or cancer treatment. In smaller medical centers, there is no distinction between positions.
There are two formal areas of specialization in nuclear technician jobs. PET technicians and nuclear cardiology technicians require additional training and certification to work in these areas. PET technicians administer radiopharmaceuticals and then operate special computerized imaging equipment to produce a hologram or three-dimensional image of the body. Nuclear cardiology technician jobs involve the administration of radiopharmaceuticals that are capable of demonstrating blood flow to the heart and within the heart’s own vascular system during rest and during exertion. The images resulting from both types of tests must be organized, reviewed and saved in the equipment’s computer system for analysis by the prescribing radiologist.
All nuclear technician jobs require careful attention to detail in order to protect the patient and technician from overexposure to radiation. Nuclear technicians must be proficient in administering the radiopharmaceutical and operating all imaging equipment. They must carefully document the patient’s condition, their own compliance with specific radiologist orders, and the disposal of all radioactive waste and materials.
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