Nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs) help physicians diagnose and treat
conditions like cancer, Alzheimer's and heart disease. Helping people overcome
these diseases can be very satisfying.
"We solve problems in a unique way," says D. Scott Holbrook. He is the
president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine Technologist Section. Holbrook
says that his work as a nuclear medicine technologist adds to the early diagnosis
of a disease. Sometimes it provides a diagnosis for a patient who has been
through many tests without finding out what is wrong.
"The social impact is obvious," says Holbrook. "We make a huge impact on
the diseases we manage."
For example, patients with Alzheimer's or dementia can get an early diagnosis.
When they know what the future holds, many decide to do certain things differently.
You can make a big impact when people receive medical information much sooner
than they would otherwise have it.
Holbrook has worked in a clinical setting. Now he is vice-president of
an independent nuclear pharmacy in Gray, Tennessee. He does sales, marketing
and other administrative tasks. He says that the field has changed dramatically
in the past 10 years. Many more opportunities are open to NMTs now.
"In any job there are good challenges and bad challenges," he explains.
Working with patients can be the most challenging. Bad stress comes from things
like malfunctioning equipment and time management. Sometimes your equipment
stops working and you have a full schedule of patients. Sometimes you are
very busy and there is an emergency patient that needs to be worked in.
"It's sort of like air traffic control," he muses. "You triage the patient.
It could be heart disease, internal bleeding, a blood clot in the lungs."
Nevertheless, caring for patients and problem-solving are the parts he
likes best. The work is enjoyable and challenging. It offers a lot of opportunity.
Holbrook says the work is best suited to people who are analytical, detail-oriented
and enjoy solving problems. They also just enjoy interacting with patients.
"The situations you come across in the real world are not like the ones
you learn about in the classroom," he points out. "You have to be able to
work independently."
Lisa Betts is the clinical coordinator for a nuclear medicine technology
program. She agrees that the work is challenging and exciting. In her 20 years
in the profession, Betts spent 10 years working in a clinical setting and
10 years as clinical coordinator for a training program.
Initially, the field attracted her because she was interested in health
care, but nursing didn't appeal to her. "I took a tour of a nuclear medicine
program, and I said, 'Hey, this is for me!'" The work was interesting. It
was different. It involved helping people, and not a lot of people knew about
it.
Betts likes knowing that the tests help physicians in making a diagnosis,
and that a patient's condition might improve as a result. She also enjoys
working with the equipment: the expensive cameras and computers. And, since
technology and the radiopharmaceuticals constantly change and evolve, there
is always something new to learn. She especially enjoys meeting and interacting
with lots of people. But the best part of the work is that it is so varied.
"From day to day, you don't know what you are going to encounter," she
adds. When she worked on the floor with patients, every day she saw many different
people and procedures. The work never becomes stagnant because each patient's
situation is unique in some way. "You may have to alter a procedure to make
it work for a certain patient," she explains.
Betts recommends the profession to anyone who is interested in the health-care
system and in making a difference in someone's life. It helps if you like
working with technology as well.
"One of my co-workers likens this work to being a part-time nurse, part-time
pharmacist and part-time computer tech," she says.
You are working with computers and might have to troubleshoot. You are
dealing with pharmaceuticals every day. When you are working with the patient,
you are providing basic nursing care.
Sometimes there are challenges. For example, working with gravely ill patients
is difficult. It is troubling when she sees small children, perhaps accident
victims or little babies. "It was especially hard when I had small children
myself," Betts says. "I'd think, 'this could be my child.'"
Betts says she has learned that a positive attitude goes a long way. "I
have seen some patients come in who are very sick but they have a wonderful
outlook on life," she says. The NMT adds that this positive outlook seems
to help these patients to do much better during the treatment of their illness.
The patients make Betts feel good about her work. When she talks to patients,
hears their stories, comforts them, sees the smile on their faces after the
scan, she knows she has helped make their day a little better.