What Nuclear Medicine Technologists Do

Nuclear medicine technologists use a scanner to create images of various areas of a patient’s body. They prepare radioactive drugs and administer them to patients undergoing the scans. The radioactive drugs cause abnormal areas of the body to appear different from normal areas in the images.

Duties

Nuclear medicine technologists typically do the following:

• Explain imaging procedures to the patient and answer questions
• Follow safety procedures to protect the patient and themselves from excessive radiation exposure
• Examine machines to make sure that they are safe and working properly
• Prepare radioactive drugs and administer them to the patient
• Monitor the patient to check for unusual reactions to drugs
• Operate equipment that creates images of areas in the body, such as images of organs
• Keep detailed records of procedures

Radioactive drugs, known as radiopharmaceuticals, give off radiation, allowing special scanners to monitor tissue and organ functions. Abnormal areas show higher-than-expected or lower-than-expected concentrations of radioactivity. Physicians then interpret the images to help diagnose the patient’s condition. For example, tumors can be seen in organs during a scan because of their concentration of the radioactive drugs.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition