A nuclear medicine technologist is a health-care professional who has completed specialized nuclear imaging training and education. He or she is in charge of calculating appropriate dosages, administering radioactive materials to patients via the prescribed routes — orally, intravenously, or inhalation — positioning the patients in the required postures, and operating the scanner, which is technically referred to as a gamma scintillation camera. This profession necessitates meticulous documentation, meticulous attention to detail, and the handling of potentially hazardous materials. In general, a nuclear medicine technologist’s salary is comparable to that of a registered nurse (RN) in the same geographic area. The salary of a nuclear medicine technologist is determined a variety of factors, including education, experience, specializations, geographic location, and others.
A nuclear medicine technologist’s salary is influenced his or her educational background for the position. Due to the relative novelty of the profession, educational preparation varies widely — the skills that the first technologists learned on the job have gradually required more education. As a result, practicing nuclear medicine technologists may hold a certificate from a hospital program, an associate’s degree from a community college, or a bachelor’s degree from a university. The one-year certification is primarily for health care professionals who already have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a health-related field.
As with most professions, experience plays a role in determining the salary of a nuclear medicine technologist. The growing number of nuclear medicine technologists with a bachelor’s degree in the field is slowly reducing the length of one’s career in this field. Nuclear medicine technologists are licensed in some states in the United States, and this credentialing appears to have a positive impact on wages. A nuclear medicine technologist’s salary rises in tandem with their specialization. Specialized education or training in nascent nuclear cardiology or positron emission tomography (PET) scans boosts both salaries and job opportunities.
Wages are also influenced the type of facility where a nuclear medicine technologist works. Despite the fact that hospitals employ the greatest number of nuclear medicine technologists, their pay is in the middle of the pay scale. Universities, followed physician’s offices, pay the highest wages. The lowest-paying jobs are in outpatient care centers and medical and diagnostic laboratories.
The geographic area in which a nuclear medicine technologist works has an impact on his or her salary. Jobs in cities pay better than jobs in rural areas. In the United States, the state of California pays significantly more than the national median salary. Washington State, another western state, pays among the top five. The northeast is home to the remaining top states for nuclear medicine salaries.