Nuclear Medicine Technologists

Median salary

$101,370

Average salary

$105,160

Employment

17,080

Projected growth

3% growth

Annual openings

900

Typical entry education

Associate's degree

What Nuclear Medicine Technologists Do

Prepare, administer, and measure radioactive isotopes in therapeutic, diagnostic, and tracer studies using a variety of radioisotope equipment. Prepare stock solutions of radioactive materials and calculate doses to be administered by radiologists. Subject patients to radiation. Execute blood volume, red cell survival, and fat absorption studies following standard laboratory techniques.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 13.7%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.7/5
Biologyimportance 4.0/5
English Languageimportance 3.9/5
Physicsimportance 3.9/5
Medicine and Dentistryimportance 3.8/5
Chemistryimportance 3.8/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.7/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Exposed to Radiation5.0/5
Contact With Others4.8/5
Telephone Conversations4.8/5
Exposed to Disease or Infections4.7/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.7/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Parking Enforcement Workers96% skill match
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians96% skill match
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians96% skill match
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians94% skill match
Prepress Technicians and Workers94% skill match
Dental Hygienists94% skill match
Respiratory Therapists94% skill match
Dental Assistants94% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.4/5
Coordinationimportance 3.3/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.3/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.1/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.0/5
Time Managementimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Electronic medical record EMR software
Gamma camera software
Medovation RadRunner
Radiopharmacy inventory databases

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Cautiousness
Dependability
Cooperation
Integrity
Self-Control
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
InvestigativeHigh
ConventionalHigh
SocialMedium
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where nuclear medicine technologists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).