Nuclear technicians treat or diagnose diseases administering radiopharmaceuticals — substances that emit small but measurable amounts of radioactivity — to patients and measuring this activity as radionuclides on subsequent imaging scans. Following oral, nasal, or intravenous administration, radiopharmaceuticals are absorbed into various tissues depending on their intended function, and images of the body’s absorption or metabolism of the radionuclides are obtained using a variety of sophisticated cameras. In the United States, nearly half of nuclear technician jobs require at least an associate’s degree, and nearly a quarter of the positions are filled technicians with bachelor’s degrees. Nuclear technician jobs are difficult and necessitate extensive training and education. Diagnostic or treatment technicians, nuclear cardiology technicians, and positive emission tomographer (PET) technicians are the three types of nuclear technicians.
Nuclear technicians can work as diagnostic nuclear technicians or therapeutic nuclear technicians, depending on the size of the facility where they work. The work of a diagnostic nuclear technician entails giving radiopharmaceuticals to patients and then measuring their absorption in the body. Increased or decreased radioactivity in the area studied can be used to diagnose various diseases when compared to a healthy scan. Therapeutic nuclear technicians administer radiopharmaceuticals, primarily in oncology, or cancer treatment, situations. In smaller medical centers, there is no distinction between the positions.
In nuclear technician jobs, there are two formal areas of specialization. To work in these fields, PET technicians and nuclear cardiology technicians both need additional training and certification. PET technicians inject radiopharmaceuticals into the patient’s body and then use computerized imaging equipment to create a hologram, or three-dimensional image of the body. Nuclear cardiology technician jobs entail administering radiopharmaceuticals that can show blood flow to the heart and within the heart’s own vascular system during rest and exercise. The images generated both of these types of tests must then be organized, reviewed, and saved in the equipment’s computer system for the prescribing radiologist to review.
To protect the patient and the technician from overexposure to radiation, all nuclear technician jobs necessitate meticulous attention to detail. Nuclear technicians must be capable of administering radiopharmaceuticals as well as operating all imaging equipment. They must keep meticulous records of the patient’s condition, their own adherence to the radiologist’s orders, and the disposal of all radioactive waste and materials.