Nuclear medicine technologists are those who are proficient in dealing with radionucleides to diagnose and treat diseases. They have undergone training in the nuclear medicine to practice as in hospitals and health care centers. The underlying technology used in nuclear technology is the radionucleides. Radionucleides are nothing but unstable atoms emitting radiations. These radionucleides are compounded to form radiopharmaceuticals. Nuclear medicine technologists administer these into the patient’s body to diagnose and treat disorders. He follows the path of the drug into the body on a computer screen. He takes images of these and produces to the physician for deciding on the treatment. The technician works in hospitals and health care centers.
The job of a nuclear medicine technologist is very strenuous as he has to work standing for a long time with radiation. He has to have good physical stamina as he has to lift and transfer the patients to and from the bed. He has to have good communication and convincing skills to tell the patients what exactly is going to happen. One of the main jobs of a nuclear medicine technician is to document the drug dosage and the treatment that has been administered to the patients. He also maintains the records of the patients for future purposes. He should be proficient in working with the computers and with the equipments.
In order to protect him from the radiation, he wears badges, gloves and other necessary clothing that will protect from the radiation. He wears a badge that gives the amount of radiation that is being generated. A nuclear medicine technologist works on two important technologies – PET and nuclear cardiology. PET gives a 2 dimensional image of the body and gives a detailed view about the functioning of the organs. Nuclear cardiology is a technology that gives a detailed view about the heart and the blood vessels. The technician masters these technologies to take images for diagnosis and treatment. He always works in close association with the physicians.
