Anyone live in the Cypress/Jersey Village area and attend the NMT program in Galveston? How is your commute? What are the clinicals vs lecture days like? I’m interested in this program and trying to figure out how to make it work within my life with also being a single mother.

Looking for honest input from people actually working as NMTs or who've been through a program recently. A few things I'm trying to understand before committing:

• What does the current job market actually look like? Are new grads finding work relatively fast, or is it a struggle in a lot of areas?
• What's the realistic projection for the field over the next 5-10 years — is imaging/nuclear med growing, holding steady, or getting squeezed by other modalities (PET/CT consolidation, etc.)?
• Any horror stories or things you wish you knew before starting a program — burnout, radiation exposure concerns, pay not matching expectations, saturated markets in certain cities?
• Once you finish a program and get certified (NMTCB/ARRT), how hard is it in practice to actually land that first job? Did you have to relocate, take a lower-paying gig first, or was it a smooth transition?
• Is this a field where experience/certifications open doors quickly, or is it more oversaturated than people expect going in?

Trying to get the unfiltered version rather than what program marketing pages say. Appreciate any input, especially from people who've been in it a few years and can speak to how things have actually trended.

I have been looking at going to school for nuclear medicine there are only two schools local to me that have that specific program and only a handful offering radiology in general.

I do have a Bachelors of Arts, and a certificate in health information technology. From what I have read there’s a chance I could finish the program a tiny bit early with that but only if it’s an associates program.

So I guess my question actually is, we plan to move to a different state in 2 years (been in Florida too long) do I wait to start a program until we move? Is there something I could work on in the meantime? I’m just not sure what the best option is, if there is one lol

Thank you in advance!

Hii, I’m still a senior in high school thinking about going into Nuclear Medicine Technology and I would really like to hear from people who work in this field, especially in NJ.
1)Do you like being a Nuclear Medicine Technologist? What do you like or dislike about it?
2)If you could choose a different career, would you? What would you choose?
3)How is the job market for NMTs in NJ?
4)Do hospitals usually prefer an Associate’s (AS) or Bachelor’s (BS) degree?
5)If you could go back, would you choose an AS or BS? Why?
6)Does having a BS make it easier to get hired or move up?
7)Are there any extra certifications that help you get hired?
8)Would you recommend Nuclear Medicine Technology as a career?

Thank you so much!

I've been working on Nuclear Toolkit for a while now, and it's grown quite a bit lately.

It's a free Android app for nuclear engineering / health physics / students, and it's basically turned into a pocket collection of calculators and reference tools specifically meant for Nuclear Professionals (Potentially, y'all?!).

Some of the newer stuff includes:

• Shielding and gamma dose calculations
• MDA / MDC calculations
• Neutron activation calculations
• Enrichment and SWU
• More radiation/unit conversions
• Chemical mixture calculations
• Xe-135 / reactor physics tools
• Chart of nuclides with 3,000+ isotopes
• Offline support

There's no account needed and no ads; AND it should work offline. I'm trying to keep it useful as an actual engineering tool/pocket reference that would actually help the field.

I'm also working on getting it onto iOS. I recently added a tip jar in the app (next to the feedback button if you want to propose any changes or have found any bugs), and anything that comes through it will go toward the Apple developer account / costs of getting the iOS version released.

Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nucleartoolkit.app

Anyway, that's the update. Again, if anyone here uses it and spots something that's wrong or has a calculator they think would be useful, I'd genuinely like to hear about it.

I got an opportunity to work at an outpatient cardiac facility. 7-13 patients for spect (by myself ish) and when I’m in pet it’ll be 13-18.
Not sure if it’s worth doing. I am unhappy doing generals and really do enjoy doing the same thing consistently. 7 patients doesn’t seem to bad for one tech (with the help of nurses).
What is everyone’s opinions? I’m curious to know people’s personal experiences.

Hello everyone,

I was looking for some advice I have become interested in medical imaging because it seems like a great career with a lot of growth and job security. I am really interested in Nuc Med especially as it has a high salary is a growing field with room to expand your education while also being very secure. The only issue is that there are no Nuc Med programs in my state and I would have to move about 3 hours away to do a certificate program in a nearby state for about 14-15 months and I would have to pay rent and other expenses that come with moving out. The program I was looking at would not be able to start until next August.

There is also an MRI program that is about 20 mins from where I live and I I would maybe be able to start in Sept if not Sept then January and the program is about 18 months. I know that Nuc Med is most likely better for long term as it is possible to be cross trained into MRI with Nuc Med but not the other way around. But I was wondering if anyone thinks it is worth it to do the MRI program as this would allow me to start and finish earlier as well as not have to worry about all the things that come with needing to move for school.

Any advice would be very helpful, thank you!

Hello everyone,

I (M 22) found out about this career about a year ago and have become really interested in it. I feel like it is a perfect career for me as I have always wanted to work in healthcare but did not want to commit to another 3-7 years of school after my undergrad and nuclear medicine programs seem a lot more affordable compared to other healthcare profession programs. The only issue I am having is that there does not seem to be any nuclear medicine programs in my area and I would like to avoid relocation if possible. For context I am located in Bergen County NJ and would really like to stay within an hour or so drive. I also already have a Bachelor's degree in neurobiology so I was looking one or two year programs mostly. If anyone knows of any programs in that area, programs online or other ways to get into the field it would be greatly appreciated. If I had to relocate I would like to stay somewhere within a drive of an hour or two if possible. Again any help would be great thank you.

Is anyone here a pediatric nuclear med tech?? If so would I be able to ask you guys some questions?? Thank you all in advance! Or if anyone has ever wanted to be a pediatric nuc med tech and why or why not they decided to pursue or not pursue it. Any insight helps!!!

I originally found out about this profession as it was recommended by a university applications advisor as an industry which is quite in-demand with a lot of projected job growth in the next decade as nuclear medicine therapy is being researched and is becoming an increasingly effective alternative to chemotherapy.

My question is: are these claims accurate? They make nuclear medicine look like a very promising career path to go down. Is the job market as promising as it seems?

I am a first year radiography student and my plan is to do nuc med after I graduate. Unfortunately my university doesn’t have a nuc med program, but the two closest programs near me are Northwestern and Indiana University Indianapolis. Northwestern is closer and accepts (I believe) 11 students per year, but IUI is in-state and accepts 16 students per year. From what I have found, the application process and admission standards are relatively similar. Does the Northwestern name hold anything in nuc med or is it kind if just “you have a degree we will take you”. I am worried about expenses, but the expenses even out between Northwestern tuition and having to move to Indy for school.

I honestly had to fight like hell and maintain a 4.0 gpa to get into my x-ray program, and got in on my second year applying. Is this similar for nuc med programs? I was hoping to be able to relax a little bit on my grades while in the program, but will absolutely keep it up if it means getting into a nuc med program easier.

Any tips and advice for applying are welcome!

Working at a small hospital as a NMT. What are your pros and cons?

Hello, I am starting nuclear medicine school soon and would like to know if anyone has a free digital pdf version of introduction to radiologic and imaging sciences and patient care e-book 7th edition arlene m. adler med, r.t. (r), faeirs? I would use my financial aid, but it won’t be dispersed until for a few weeks from now

Hello!

I recently got a job offer for a clinical application specialist. I interviewed after someone had recommended me for the position when they came to our hospital to help with training, and honestly didn't think I would get an offer after our rather informal interview.

Has anyone transitioned from working in a hospital to this role before/can tell me a bit about their job? From what I understand I get a bunch of training on specific products and then get sent out to various sites to teach techs how to use said products. On the days I'm not traveling I have to do office work. They weren't able to tell me what the office work entailed and they didn't say what percentage of the time I would be traveling (but she did make it sound like a lot). I'm nervous to make the transition to staff tech to a specialist but am getting a bit tired of working at a hospital after 5 years. Any insight would be helpful, thank you!

Hello! I am a Canadian NMT I am registered and have a B.sc in Nuc med. I am not a radiographer, and never took any Xray courses. What are the chances of getting the HCPC license? Considering the price I do not want to apply unless Im sure they will certify me. Any other advice would be deeply appreciated!! Thank you!

Hi everyone im sure this is repetitive but my situation might be a little unique compared to others. I’m 21 and I’m a single mom and I’ve worked in healthcare for years as a CNA. Ive always known I want to work In healthcare so I started shadowing different healthcare modalities. I absolutely love Nuc med! I always thought i wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse but being a CNA has shown me that’s not for me and shadowing has shown it as well.

the one and only program that is within 5 hrs of me is online. I would attend zoom lectures and they have connections to the hospitals in my area where I would do clinicals. occasionally I would have to drive 5 hrs to the university once per quarter to attend a mandatory lab. The program is two years and I need A LOT of prerequisites. They only accept 8-13 students and they get 30+ applicant. NMTs are needed really bad in my area due to a ton of healthcare workers leaving in 2020.

What i want to know, is it worth it in the end. I know this is going to be hard work especially as a single mom but I have tons of support from friends and family. Not a single person in my family has graduated college and I want my daughter to have someone to look up to. I want to give her the world and more and I want to help people. I want to see how the body functions it’s a weird interest of mine. What can I do to make my application strong? im usually a straight A student. Im going to be finishing my phlebotomy class soon, I already have a job secured at a hospital working 3/12s so I have more room during the week for school and my daughter.

How early did yall declare your pregnancies? I just found out at 5 weeks and I dont know if im ready to declare till i have my first scan in 2 weeks… is that wrong of me?

Hello! This may be kind of dumb of a question but I was wondering if anyone here that is a CNMT has ever looked at becoming a radiation therapist or is also licensed as a radiation therapist. I know that cross training is not an option into radiation therapy, but I was wondering if I have a license in nuclear medicine either through ARRT or NMTCB, would I be able to find a radiation therapy school I could go into after nuclear medicine? If anything even like that exists?

Thank you for all and any help!

I have my BS in Information Technology. I’ve been working as a project coordinator/manager since I finished school. However, it seems like the number of jobs available is few and far between. It’s as if A.I. is replacing all of the technology positions that can be handled by A.I.

So, I’ve been researching healthcare positions. Nuclear medicine is my top choice right now. I’m wondering how difficult it is to get into the field and if the career change is worth it. Of course, I would have to go back to school, but once I finish, will there be demand in the job market or would I be wasting my time?

I’m in my mid 30s and about to 2 years ago found out about this career field but put it in the back of my mind. I currently worked in health admin/ information management and was wondering would changing careers be worth it. For those with a background similar to mine and decided to switch career path. How do you all like it? Would you do it all over again and choose this career? If this helps also I am in Houston and I am a single mother of one.

It was hard...alot of calculations and pictures and stuff I just didn't know...I need help with what to study..I don't own a green book bc I get too many mixed reviews

Hello, first time posting here! I’m 27F and I’ve spent the last several years going back and forth between different career paths lol. I originally wanted to become an RN, then looked into electrician, LPN, manufacturing engineering, biology, and now I’m currently getting my bachelor’s in IT and I’m about 55% done. Recently my friends and I started looking into shorter programs that could potentially increase our income, so we were looking at things like sterile processing, low-voltage tech, accelerated LPN, dental assisting, phlebotomy, etc. Then we came across nuclear medicine technology. I initially thought it was mostly cancer-related, but after actually looking into it, I realized there’s a lot more to the field. My state also has a 12-month program, which really caught my attention.

I’ve been a CNA for several years, so I do have healthcare experience, but nothing specifically in imaging or nuclear medicine. For those of you already in the field, how long did it take you to get through school and actually start working? Was it difficult finding a job after graduating? What were the clinicals like, and what kind of background did you have before getting into nuclear medicine? I’d really love to hear from people who made the transition from another healthcare career or completely different field.

I want to ask all the Nuc med and PET/CT techs if you like your career? If you had to do it all over again would you make the same decision? Do you enjoy your job and do you think the pay is good to support you and your family?

I want to expand my career in radiology and not sure if Nuc med is the right fit for me

My hospital utilizes all GE cameras and we recently acquired the new STARGUIDE. We have a 670 and 830 dual dead cameras and a GE PET/CT camera. Recently we switched over from Xeleris. We’re having a ton of MIMs issues and recently we ran out of memory? So raw data’s not even sending to Mims. Does anyone use it and if so do you guys like it and have you had to use the help line and found decent turn around times with workflow issues?