Day in the life
A Day in the Life of a Nuclear Medicine Technologist
What nuclear medicine technologists actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
What is a typical day like for a nuclear medicine technologist?
Calibrate equipment and check doses. From there, the day usually includes prepare radioactive drugs, give tracers to patients, and operate gamma cameras and PET scanners. Most work full-time days, with some on-call shifts.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for a nuclear medicine technologist working full time.
- Calibrate equipment and check doses.
- Inject a patient for a cardiac stress scan.
- Run a PET/CT scan for cancer staging.
- Do a bone scan.
- Prepare a thyroid study.
- Process images for the radiologist.
- Log radioactive materials.
Where nuclear medicine technologists work
Technologists work in hospitals and imaging centers.
Hours and schedule
Most work full-time days, with some on-call shifts.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Prepare radioactive drugs
- Give tracers to patients
- Operate gamma cameras and PET scanners
- Position patients for imaging
- Follow radiation safety rules
- Process images for physicians
- Keep records of radioactive materials
Tools you’ll use every day
- Gamma cameras
- PET/CT scanners
- Dose calibrators
- Lead shielding
- Survey meters
- Imaging software
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- High pay for a two-year degree
- Advanced imaging technology
- Patient contact
- Specialized skills
What’s hard
- Radiation safety demands
- Early starts
- Limited openings
- Precise timing pressure
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I like science and technology
- I follow safety rules carefully
- I want a high-paying two-year career
- I like patient contact
- I’m precise
- I like imaging
Not sure? Take the free Nuclear Medicine Technologist fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Follow ALARA with time, distance and shielding
- Wear dosimeters
- Survey for contamination
- Store radioactive materials securely