Description:

Presents basic science required for nuclear medicine. Topics include types of radiation, half-life and radioactive decay, interactions of radiation, detection instruments, statistics of radiation counting, basic radiation protection, and introduction to gamma camera, and computer. Prerequisite: Acceptance into program.

Outcomes:

After completing this class, students should be able to:

1. Describe modes of radioactive decay and solve problems using the decay equation.
2. Discuss interaction mechanisms of charged particles and photons.
3. Use the inverse-square law, the attenuation equation, and other formulas to calculate the amount of radiation expected in a variety of situations.
4. Describe in detail the operation of gas-filled and scintillation detectors, and list and discuss their uses and the applicable quality control testing.
5. Identify factors affecting detection of radiation, given a variety of scenarios.
6. Describe the application of statistics, particularly the Poisson statistical model, to radioactive decay and detection, and apply statistical tests to describe the operation of radiation detection instruments.
7. Outline the operation of a gamma camera and briefly discuss the use of computers and tomographic imaging.