Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear Medicine is the medical/technological specialty involving the use of radioactive materials in the diagnosis, management and treatment of disease. Nuclear Medicine Technologists manufacture radioactive pharmaceuticals which they administer for the purpose of diagnosis using sophisticated detection equipment and computers. They also perform sensitive laboratory tests to determine concentrations of hormones, drugs or cancer antigens in the patients’ bodies and use radioactive compounds in the treatment of various disorders such as cancer. Typically Nuclear Medicine Technologists work Monday to Friday and may be on call evenings and weekends.

On any given day, a Nuclear Medicine technologist may be responsible for:

• preparing radioactive substances (radiopharmaceuticals) for administration to patients;
• preparing imaging equipment and computers;
• providing care and support to patients during nuclear medicine procedures;
• performing venipuncture to obtain blood samples and giving injections;
• performing medical imaging with specialized cameras;
• performing computer processing and image enhancement;
• administering radioactive therapies to patients;
• performing laboratory tests with radioactive materials;
• working in cooperation with members of a health care team.

What Are Students Saying About Nuclear Medicine?

"I like the amount of clinical experience that we receive. It gives us an opportunity to become comfortable working in the field and interacting with patients. The hands-on approach makes learning easier and more enjoyable."
Heather Paige, NMT Graduate ‘03

"I really like being able to see the equipment and procedures that we learn about in the classroom in the actual clinical setting."
Michelle Doyle, NMT Graduate ‘03

Looking to the Future
Nuclear Medicine is expanding its scope of practice especially into the field of Positron Emission Tomography (PET). As well, there are opportunities to train in the areas of ultrasound/echo, MRI, education, radiation safety and health care management.

Graduates are typically employed in nuclear medicine departments of hospitals or private clinics. They may also find employment where their expertise is required with pharmaceutical companies, equipment manufacturers, research laboratories, university centres, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and within industry.

Nuclear Medicine Technologists are in great demand across North America. One hundred percent of our recent graduates have found employment in the nuclear medicine community.

UNB Saint John offers the Nuclear Medicine stream in partnership with the New Brunswick Community College - Saint John and Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation.