Medical Imaging News

February 7, 2007

Gotta Wear Shades: Nuclear Medicine Technologists See a Bright Future

Nuclear medicine technologists enjoy what they do, according to SNMTS, the Technologist Section of the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM).

More than 2,200 nuclear medicine technologists—certified either by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) or the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT)—participated in the study, completing 60 questions on a variety of topics.

"The intent of the survey was to provide information to the nuclear medicine community that could help guide its members in the right direction as the field continues to evolve," said Anthony W. Knight, chair of the SNMTS data analysis task force. "The results primarily give us a snapshot of the current state of the field, but when these new data are analyzed and added to the historical information we have available, useful predictions can be made about where the field might be in 5 to 10 years."

A majority (53.7%) of respondents are very satisfied with their jobs, and 19 out of 20 respondents (94%) are very or somewhat satisfied with their jobs.

Almost 75% of respondents work in general nuclear medicine practice, with 4.6% working with other modalities, including PET, PET/CT, and SPECT/CT. Of those who participated, more than 9 out of 10 nuclear medicine technologists had completed some college education, and nearly one third expect to pursue additional academic education.

Findings indicate that the average total salary of full-time technologists, including on-call wages, is $70,470. Technologists working with fusion imaging, such as PET/CT, netted higher salaries than those working in general nuclear medicine. Salaries tended to be higher along the coasts—$82,890 on average in the western states; $71,260 in the mid-Atlantic region—and lowest in the mountain ($60,690) and Midwest ($63,210) states.

When looking at certification, about 70% indicated that the states they worked in require them to hold a license, which the SNM believes indicates the need to increase the professional standing of the profession in all states.

"[The SNM] recommends that nuclear medicine professionals pursue licensure in all states to serve the needs and protect the safety of the public; promote standardized, legislated legal scope of practice for technologists; augment the knowledge base and skill sets to include fusion imaging with the latest technologies; track closely the work of scientists and industry on new imaging technologies, and adjust educational programs as needed; work to increase the number of certified technologists in all states in this country; and provide opportunities for those interested to extend their professional education to the graduate level. These efforts are all supported by SNMTS," said SNMTS President D. Scott Holbrook. "The results of this survey support the direction that the SNMTS is heading in determining how nuclear medicine technologists of today may broaden their scope to become the imaging specialists or molecular imaging technologists of tomorrow."

Demographics also were reported, indicating that the profession is gender diverse compared to most allied health professions, with the majority of active nuclear medicine technologists being women in their mid-40s.

"As an educator, I find the statistics showing the aging of the technologist population to be very telling. Not only does this suggest that the field might be facing issues related to manpower shortages, but also that it will be losing a larger percentage of its experienced people through retirement," said Knight, who noted techs aren't the only professionals getting closer to wrapping up their careers. "The data show that a large number of educational program directors will be expected to retire in the next few years. When this trend is cross-referenced with the salary statistics—that show program directors' salaries are often less than the average salaries available for those who stay in the clinical side—it raises the very serious question about where our future educators might come from. The pool of potential candidates will be, on average, less experienced, and those individuals also would likely have to take a significant pay cut to move from the clinical side into education."

The report, titled Nuclear Medicine Technologists in the United States: Findings from a 2005 Survey (link launches PDF), is the most comprehensive profile of professionals regarding job satisfaction, salaries, education, and career paths, according to the SNM.

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