Nuclear Medicine Technologist
What the work is
Prepares and administers radionuclides or radiopharmaceuticals to detect, diagnose or treat diseases, using specialised imaging equipment.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Prepares and administers radiopharmaceuticals or radionuclides to patients for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes
- Operates and performs quality control on imaging equipment, including positron emission tomograpy/computed tomography (PET/CT), PET/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI), Gamma Cameras, single-photon emission computed tomography/CT (SPECT/CT) cameras and bone density scanners
- Produces and analyses diagnostic images to identify abnormalities or diseases
- Maintains detailed records of patients' procedures
- Adheres to safety standards for the appropriate use, storage and disposal of radioactive materials
- Provides patient education and instructions regarding imaging procedures and preparations, and provides patients with assistance during procedures
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in the medical imaging department of a fictional regional hospital. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A scared child leaves the room laughing about having their bones photographed
- Your clear image helps the doctors find an answer quickly
- A patient who dreaded the machine tells you that you made it easy
Hard days
- A patient in pain who cannot hold the position you need
- Back-to-back requests from the emergency department while a queue builds
- Wearing heavy protective gear and working in a darkened room all day
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 263131, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.