Nuclear Medicine Technology
Associate in Arts Degree Nuclear Medicine Technology
Brief Description
Nuclear medicine is a subspecialty of radiology that uses radioactive materials in the body to diagnose and treat disease. The Associate of Arts degree program in nuclear medicine technology covers all aspects of a nuclear medicine technologist's job, including a wide variety of imaging and therapeutic procedures; preparation and administration of radiopharmaceuticals; use of radiation detectors including gamma cameras and PET tomographs; and use of a variety of computer systems. More than 2/3 of the program is devoted to training in area hospitals and clinics. The program uses a selective-admissions process, with admissions guidelines published annually.
Learning Outcomes
Degree recipients should possess the skills and abilities described below:
- Perform nuclear medicine functions of all kinds, including imaging, non-imaging, and therapy procedures; quality control procedures; radiopharmacy skills; and radiation safety/protection techniques and procedures.
- Operate nuclear medicine equipment including gamma cameras, SPECT systems, PET scanners, and CT scanners co-located with SPECT or PET systems; and nuclear medicine computers, including scheduling, radiopharmacy, imaging, and archiving systems.
- Review requests for appropriateness and schedule nuclear medicine studies, consulting as necessary to attain the best quality of patient care.
- Assess technical results of nuclear medicine procedures and functions and determine appropriate actions based on those results.
- Communicate effectively with patients, family members, hospital staff, and the general public, and demonstrate professionalism in all actions and communications.
- Provide nursing and emergency care as appropriate to the situation and scope of practice.
- Use appropriate resources to advance their understanding of new directions within the field of nuclear medicine.
Completion Worksheet
Download the completion worksheet for this degree [PDF]
Requirements
| Course No. | Course Name | Credit Hrs. |
|---|---|---|
| CMST 250 | Organizational Communication | 5 |
| NMTEC 200 | Applied Anatomy & Physiology | 1 |
| NMTEC 201 | Basic Nuclear Medicine Science | 3 |
| NMTEC 202 | Instrumentation | 3 |
| NMTEC 203 | Computers in Nuclear Medicine | 3 |
| NMTEC 210 | Radiopharmacy | 1 |
| NMTEC 211 | Patient Care in Nuclear Medicine | 1 |
| NMTEC 212 | Positron Emission Tomography | 1 |
| NMTEC 229 | Introduction to Clinical Education | 3 |
| NMTEC 230 | Clinical Education I | 10 |
| NMTEC 231 | Clinical Education II | 10 |
| NMTEC 232 | Clinical Education III | 12 |
| NMTEC 233 | Clinical Education IV | 13 |
| NMTEC 234 | Clinical Education V | 13 |
| NMTEC 240 | Radiation Safety | 1 |
| NMTEC 241 | Radiation Biology | 1 |
| NMTEC 250 | Sectional Anatomy for Nuclear Medicine | 3 |
| NMTEC 260 | Clinical Nuclear Medicine I | 1 |
| NMTEC 261 | Clinical Nuclear Medicine II | 1 |
| NMTEC 262 | Clinical Nuclear Medicine III | 1 |
| NMTEC 275 | Board Preparation | 1 |
| NMTEC 280 | Computed Tomography for Nuclear Medicine | 3 |
| RADON 107 | Orientation to Clinical Practice | 2 |
| Total | 93 | |
Professional or technical program offerings and course requirements listed in this website may be altered by the college to reflect the needs of industry, student interests and availability of resources.
