Nuclear Medicine Technologist Licensing and Certification
Become a Nuclear Medicine Technician / Technologist
Nuclear Medicine Tech Resources
Many states license nuclear technologists. This means that the government sets minimum standards and determines how they will be evaluated. You will find a chart that details licensing type and continuing education requirements on the site of the Society of Nuclear Medicine. You will also find contact information for licensing department representatives on the site of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. A number of states do use ARRT to identify candidates who have met standards.
In other states, the government doesn’t take an active role. However, this doesn’t mean standards are lower. Any worker that uses radiation needs know-how and reliability. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, certification is the accepted standard within the profession. There are two nationally recognized certifying bodies, the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Both require an exam for initial certification. Both mandate that candidates re-register. The process involves completing continuing education requirements as well as maintaining a good ethics record.
The ARRT exam is computer adaptive; rather than count errors, it will try to determine your skill level. The organization reports that the process of taking a test by computer is very simple and doesn’t require an extensive tutorial process. However, there are certain things that a candidate should be aware of. For instance, she should be careful that she doesn’t accidentally click that she does not accept when prompted to accept the non-disclosure statement. Careless or thoughtless mistakes can cause a candidate to forfeit fees for an exam attempt.
Accreditation by the NMTCB confers the title CNMT (Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist). The exam is also computer adaptive.
Some nuclear medicine technologists choose to pursue specialty certification after a couple years in the field. One specialty certification you may pursue is NCT (Nuclear Cardiology Technology) which is available through the NMTCB. It is a rapidly changing field, so you’ll need to re-certify every seven years.