Nuclear medicine procedures are among the safest diagnostic imaging tests available. The amount of radiation in a nuclear medicine procedure is comparable to that received during an X-ray. Nuclear medicine procedures are painless and do not require anesthesia. Children commonly undergo nuclear medicine procedures to evaluate bone pain, injuries, infection, or kidney and bladder function. There are approximately 2,700 full-time equivalent nuclear medicine physicians and 14,000 certified nuclear medicine technologists nationwide.
Nuclear medicine is an integral part of patient care and saves countless lives annually.
High Degree of Training Required Nuclear medicine is practiced only by licensed physicians who are assisted by certified technologists and are supported by specially trained physicists and pharmacists. Nuclear medicine combines chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer technology, and medicine in using radioactivity to diagnose and treat disease. Physicians Physicians certified by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine must first receive a medical degree and have one or more years of training in a medical specialty other than nuclear medicine. A further two years of training in nuclear medicine is then required during which special instruction is given in physics, radiopharmacy and radiation biology, as well as patient evaluation, radionuclide therapy and diagnostic studies. Emphasis is given to cost-effective approaches to patient care.