Nuclear Medicine Technologist Job Outlook

Employment of nuclear medicine technologists is projected to grow 2% from 2014 to 2024, much slower than the 7% average growth projected for all occupations during that period.

Nuclear medicine technologists work mostly with adult patients, although some procedures may be performed on children. As the baby boomer generation ages the elderly population will expand, which should lead to greater need to diagnose and treat medical conditions that require nuclear medical imaging, such as heart disease. Nuclear medicine technologists will be needed to administer radioactive drugs and maintain the imaging equipment required for diagnosis. However, employment growth may be tempered as many medical facilities and third-party payers encourage the use of less costly, noninvasive imaging technologies, such as ultrasound.

Overall employment growth is expected to be driven by rapidly growing industries, including physicians' offices and diagnostic laboratories, which employed about 31 percent of nuclear medicine technologists in 2010.

Nuclear medicine technologists can improve their job opportunities by getting a specialty certification. A technologist can earn a certification in positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear cardiology (NCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT). The Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) offers NCT and PET certification exams. The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) offers the CT and MRI certification exams

Source: U.S. Department of Labor