RESTON, Va.The future looks bright for nuclear medicine technologists. Technologists enjoy their jobs, find their salaries near the top of the scale for professions with similar educational requirements, are well educated and remain poised for continuing growth and change. These facts are gleaned from a recent survey sponsored by SNMTS, a scientific organization that promotes continued development and improvement of the art and science of molecular imaging, nuclear medicine and technology.

The study, Nuclear Medicine Technologists in the United States: Findings From a 2005 Survey, provides the most comprehensive picture of nuclear medicine technologists ever developed and contains information about demographic characteristics, education, employment, career paths and attitudes about the profession, explained SNMTS President D. Scott Holbrook. By conducting this survey, SNMTS can learn more about the thoughts, opinions and challenges of technologists so its leaders can make more informed decisions and better meet current and future needs, he added. With this information, we will be able to take the lead in determining how the nuclear medicine technologists of today may broaden their scope to become the imaging specialists or molecular imaging technologists of the future, said Holbrook, who represents nearly 8,000 nuclear medicine technologists who are employed in hospitals, universities, medical clinics and research centers across the United States and abroad.

More than 2,200 nuclear medicine technologists (certified either by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board and/or the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) responded to a 60-question survey concerning multiple aspects of the profession, said Anthony Knight, who chaired the SNMTS Advisory Committee for the survey. In looking at the future, the findings note that 6 out of 10 (60.5 percent) technologists expect to remain in their current positions for the next five years, he said. A majority (53.3 percent) indicated that additional training would be necessary to continue their work, said Knight. Technologists identified a need for training in computed tomography (19.5 percent), PET/CT (37.7 percent), SPECT/CT (13.1 percent), magnetic resonance imaging (3 percent) and mammography/PET (1.2 percent).


Below are some findings from the survey.

* Salaries: The average total salary of full-time technologists (including wages from being on call) is $70,470. Nuclear medicine technologists working with fusion imaging (such as PET/CT) earn higher salaries than those working in general nuclear medicine. Average total salaries are highest in the West ($82,890) and the Mid-Atlantic region ($71,260); the lowest average salaries are found in the Mountain ($60,690) and Mid-West ($63,210) states.