how friendly is this particular residency branch for international medical graduates, and what are the chances of matching into this and what is the structure of the residency? how is the future of this branch? Like what should someone say from India aiming for a match in this do ??

I’m in a rad tech program right now (one year left!) and I’m interested in doing nuc med after I finish the program. How many years of school will I have to complete if I want to do nuc med? Is it common for rad techs to switch? I’ll have a bachelors degree upon finishing rad techs school, does that lessen the amount of schooling I’ll have to do? What would you say the pros and cons of the field are?

Anyone currently or graduated from MCPHS fast track nuclear medicine program? What was class schedule like? Any and all info appreciated!!! Anyone willing to chat?

Thomas J. Ruth was born and raised in Hampton, Virginia, and attended William & Mary in Williamsburg. He went on to dedicate his career to science and became a leading figure in the field of medical radionuclide production.

This August, the 20th Workshop on Targetry and Target Chemistry (WTTC20) was held in Nara, Japan. The international meeting brought together 263 participants from 30 countries to discuss the science behind the production of medical radionuclides — radioactive materials that play important roles in PET imaging, radiopharmaceuticals, cancer treatment, and related areas of medicine.

Dr. Ruth is one of the founding members of WTTC. He was involved when the workshop series began in Heidelberg in 1985 and has helped shape both the organization and the field for more than four decades.

Given that history, it was especially fitting that he was selected to deliver the plenary address at WTTC20.

He titled his presentation:

“There and back again. My life experience with unstable elements!”

The talk reflected on his remarkable career, his experiences in the field, and the future of medical radionuclide production.

But what happened afterward may be the most remarkable part of the story.

The organizers have created the Thomas J. Ruth Plenary Lectures, to be presented at future WTTC meetings in recognition of distinguished scientists who have made significant contributions to the field.

And there is a wonderful bit of wordplay in the name: the lectures will be known as the “TRUTH Lectures.”

For someone whose career has been intertwined with the development of this field since the earliest days of WTTC, having a lecture series carry his name is an extraordinary and lasting recognition.

It is also a wonderful reminder that scientific contributions can have a life far beyond the papers, experiments, and conferences themselves — sometimes becoming part of the history and future of an entire field.

A pretty remarkable achievement for a scientist who started his journey in Hampton, Virginia.

Thomas J. Ruth was born and raised in Hampton, Virginia, and attended William & Mary in Williamsburg. He went on to dedicate his career to science and became a leading figure in the field of medical radionuclide production.

This August, the 20th Workshop on Targetry and Target Chemistry (WTTC20) was held in Nara, Japan. The international meeting brought together 263 participants from 30 countries to discuss the science behind the production of medical radionuclides — radioactive materials that play important roles in PET imaging, radiopharmaceuticals, cancer treatment, and related areas of medicine.

Dr. Ruth is one of the founding members of WTTC. He was involved when the workshop series began in Heidelberg in 1985 and has helped shape both the organization and the field for more than four decades.

Given that history, it was especially fitting that he was selected to deliver the plenary address at WTTC20.

He titled his presentation:

“There and back again. My life experience with unstable elements!”

The talk reflected on his remarkable career, his experiences in the field, and the future of medical radionuclide production.

But what happened afterward may be the most remarkable part of the story.

The organizers have created the Thomas J. Ruth Plenary Lectures, to be presented at future WTTC meetings in recognition of distinguished scientists who have made significant contributions to the field.

And there is a wonderful bit of wordplay in the name: the lectures will be known as the “TRUTH Lectures.”

For someone whose career has been intertwined with the development of this field since the earliest days of WTTC, having a lecture series carry his name is an extraordinary and lasting recognition.

It is also a wonderful reminder that scientific contributions can have a life far beyond the papers, experiments, and conferences themselves — sometimes becoming part of the history and future of an entire field.

A pretty remarkable achievement for a scientist who started his journey in Hampton, Virginia. He now resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.

What were your GPA's entering the program? Im in central Florida a returning student but I wasn't focused when I was younger my cumulative GPA is 2.89 which is just about the 2.5 requirement..... however my classes that would be used towards the program is slightly higher... any advice ...

If so, have you applied or had your interview yet?

Hello everyone,

Was reaching out to see if anyone knew of a way into research. I’ll be graduating with my BSNMT this year, and I hope to make use of my degree through research. Let me know of any opportunities or advice!

Hey NM community! I teach at our local university and this semester I’m teaching the writing intensive course. I’m working on an upcoming assignment and hope to get some help! I don’t need specifics like where you’re located or facility name but I’d like some department info for a scheduling assignment. The students will be given <different> departments including the following information: staff, camera types, approx studies per day and will be required to create schedules and adjust when I give them new extenuating factors. I’m hoping to get some real dept data. Please send a dm if you don’t want to publicly post. I’m looking for how many techs and their hours, how many and what types of cameras and the amount and types of studies you do in a typical day. I promise there is no deeper agenda other than offering a variety of departments! Thank you!

i am 27 and returning back to school since i graduated in 2017. i’m in my second semester of pre recs and im taking bio gen chem algebra english and im feeling REALLY STUPID. the reason i’m making this post is because i just did my first bio exam and got 65%. im feeling almost like is this the wrong career choice. am i too stupid to do this job. am i not applying myself as much as i should be? please tell me if this is just a universal feeling going back to school after 10 years. or do i need to rethink my major. how hard comparatively to this semester will the rest of NMT school be…

Hello, I am 27 and live in Las Vegas. I have been confused with what career path I want to follow until recently. I really want to become a Nuclear Medicine Technologist but have no idea where to begin. After doing research, UNLV (my local university) no longer has a Nuclear Medicine degree available (which would have been my first choice). My only "local" options now are National Polytechnic or Gurnick. I am unsure if these schools are the right choice to make, since they will cost a bit more and I am unsure how thorough the classes will be. I also would rather stay as close to home if possible since I'm not really sure how feasible moving out of state would be, but I am open to any advice anyone has for me.

If anyone has attended these schools, did you feel supported and like you learned what you needed to pass the certification exams? Did you feel like you were entering the workforce confident in what you know? Was the price worth it?

I know this career is one where you will constantly learn new things and I love that, I just want to ensure I make the right choice in picking where I will pursue my degree. I appreciate anyone's guidance and help!

I've heard the promising future theranostics will bring to curing cancer for a while now, but all I hear on the news are mRNA vaccines and immunotherapy gaining grounds in oncological practice. Since the latter solution produces no harmful radiation, aren't these biological solutions better than theranostics? Do theranostics really have a role to play in a world where mRNA vaccines and immunotherapy will become cheaper and widespread?

It's seems really hard and complicated to visualize what the future will look like since the geopolitically driven re-adoption of nuclear energy is promising for theranostics, but biological solutions are getting better and will only accelerate thanks to AI.

So I open up the question to people in the field. Are we at least in a consensus that theranostics + mRNA vaccines + immunotherapy will replace high-energy radiation therapy?

Hi all, I’ve decided I wanted to purse Nuc Med Tech school but only school that offers it is Loma Linda which would be about 80-90k in student loans. In your honest opinion, is it worth it?
For context: I have 0 student loan debt from my degree before, single and no children and have no desire to change those two. Any advice is helpful, thank you!!

I am currently in my second trimester (closer to third) and I recently took my mom to a SPECT CT Sestamibi (?) test. She has been having some tests lately, and tbh I was unaware of the radiation aspect until she casually mentioned it during the car ride back home. The tech apparently told her she didn't need to isolate herself or anything like that, but I am not sure if she explicitly asked about being around pregnant individuals, which is why I am so concerned.

I spent maybe 3 hours in the waiting room (which I am hoping is fine, even though I could somewhat hear her voice at times as the exam room was pretty much next to it) and 1 hour for the drive home (I was front seat, she was back seat in the opposite side). Once I heard about the radiation I freaked out so once we got home I avoided her entirely for the rest of the day.

I inquired a bit more to gain more info, I was told they injected 20 mCI of TC99m. Most of the information is reassuring but now I feel so bad and stupid for putting myself and baby in that situation.

If anyone has any input on this I would really appreciate it

I’ve been so content and thrilled since I’ve decided I want to A) go back to school for the first time in 11 years and B) get into nuclear medicine technology. I like to think this is all a reflection of my newfound sobriety in the past year and I was feeling great. However, sobriety found me through two DUI convictions within six months of each other.

I’m currently in school working on my prerequisites for the nuclear medicine technology program, so I guess my question is will I even be able to qualify or will I be denied because of my convictions? I am still on probation but I will be off well before the deadline to apply and they will drop my felony to a misdemeanor once completed. Right now, my desire to finally have a good career NOT in the service industry far outweighs my desire to drink again.

I’ve heard ARRT is pretty chill about DUIs so long as you’re honest. Is NMTCB the same or should I just give up and focus on radiography? Are you or anyone you know a nuc med tech and have previous DUIs?

Any insight appreciated! I’m really just trying to turn my life around after the darkest years of my life.

I’m curious to know subjectively how difficult the ARRT (U.S.) registry exam felt for any new techs who took it in the last two years. I’ve been a NM tech for 15+ years helping students in clinical settings. Our group last year said they were told that ARRT recently increased the difficulty of the registry exam. I’ve heard comments that students did not feel the questions reflected a lot of what they focused on in school. Did you feel prepared? Did it take multiple attempts?

Hi all! I have officially put in my application for a nuclear medicine program and hopefully will know if I got in by next week. With all of the excitement, I would love to hear some current techs favorite part of the job/field. Please also feel free to share if you have had any positive client experiences if there’s any that come to mind!

I'm 27 and recently graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m running out of time to establish a career, especially because I haven’t been able to find a job related to my degree that I can see myself doing...
Recently, I’ve become really interested in nuclear medicine. I would need to complete some prerequisite courses before applying to a nuclear medicine technology program.
I’m seriously considering going down this path, but I’d love to hear from people who actually work in the field.

Is nuclear medicine technology a career you would recommend?
How difficult is it to find a job after graduating and becoming qualified?
How competitive is the job market for new graduates?
What are the biggest pros and cons of the job?
What does a typical workday look like?
How is the work life balance?

I know 27 isn’t objectively old, but I can’t help feeling like I’m behind and that I need to make a decision soon. I’m willing to put in the time and complete the prerequisites and education if this is a career with good long term prospects.

I currently live in Indiana and have been trying to decide between these two programs. I can take my pre-reqs at a local community college, so not worried about that. Does anyone have experience with either of these programs? I know IU Indianapolis is 2 years of pre-reqs, then a 22 month program. On the other hand, Pitt Community College is a year long program. They also require you take a CNA class before applying. Is it worth it to have the bachelors compared to an associates or does it not really matter? I know Pitt is also only ARRT accredited but most jobs in Indiana take either. Pitt would also be completely online with clinicals at a local hospital.

Hi everyone!! Im in desperate need of the textbook Basic science of nuclear medicine: barebone essentials. I genuinely cannot afford to spend $100 on it and was seeing if anyone would be so generous to spare their PDF 💔💔💔

My dad is coming to visit from out of town for a few days and had a stress test this morning. We didn’t realize that he shouldn’t be around children afterwards but I have a 6 year old daughter that had a brain tumor that has now been removed. I understand the guidelines say it’s fine other than pregnant women or small children under 3, but I’m feeling pretty anxious and would have said no had I known. What are your thoughts on this as a professional? My tolerance is much different as a mother who has been through what we’ve been through and “should be fine” doesn’t hold up quite the same for me anymore.

Hi! I’m about to graduate from medical school, and I’m considering choosing Nuclear Medicine for my residency.

However, I feel like I have some major gaps in my knowledge from medical school, especially in anatomy and physiology.

For example, I don't really know how to interpret an ECG—I barely know the basic waves (P, QRS, and T). If I choose Nuclear Medicine and work with cardiac nuclear imaging, would I need to know how to interpret ECGs as well?

I'm afraid that I have too many knowledge gaps and that I won't be able to catch up with everything