Nuclear Medicine Technology Certificate
Accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology.
Nuclear medicine technology is a dynamic and expanding segment of today’s health care industry. If you currently hold a bachelor’s degree and would like to pursue a career as a nuclear medicine technologist, this post-baccalaureate certificate program is designed for you. Our program is fully accredited by The Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology, ensuring that you will receive a high-quality education.
About Our Program
As a student in the nuclear medicine technology post-baccalaureate certificate program, you will benefit from the experience, knowledge and state-of-the-art facilities afforded by:
- Cedar Crest College
- Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network
- St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network
Throughout your studies, you will receive instruction in classrooms, laboratories and health care settings by:
- Experienced faculty
- Physicians
- Physicists
- Technologists
Program Mission Statement
The mission of the program is to provide the health community with intelligent and technically capable technologists who understand the complexity of imaging systems protocols and performance of patient studies.
Program Requirements
Click on the bars below for more information about admissions and course requirements for this program.
Admission to the Program
A student may declare a post-baccalaureate certificate in nuclear medicine technology if the following criteria have been met:
- They possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university and be admitted to the College
- They have completed and received a grade of C or above in the following courses:
- Anatomy and Physiology I and II
- Bio 236 (Cell and Molecular Biology)
- Physics I and II
- Chemistry – one course
- They have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.750
Health Requirements
Dental and eye examinations, immunizations and an annual complete physical examination are required, as well as freedom from any physical, mental, or drug impairment that would prohibit the candidate from practicing as a professional nuclear medicine technologist.
Clinical Training in Nuclear Medicine Technology
The nuclear medicine clinical training begins early June and ends in April of the following year. Students in the clinical year of this program will earn Cedar Crest College credit and will pay one-half of the comprehensive nonresident student tuition fee. Resident students will also pay the full room and board fee.
The training is performed in nuclear medicine departments of the program’s affiliated hospitals. Teaching and clinical instructors are physicians, physicists and technologists on the hospital staffs. Student’s progress and performance are monitored by the program director, who makes periodic visits to the hospital departments. Readings, problem assignments and project work are an integral part of the student’s clinical training.
The hospital training includes the following areas: radionuclide imaging and external monitoring; radiation safety and protection; patient positioning and nursing procedures; and nuclear medicine administrative procedures. Students are required to learn and perform venipuncture and to inject radiopharmaceuticals. The training also includes: nuclear oncology, nuclear cardiology, molecular imaging (PET, and PET/CT), single photon emission tomography, immunology and cross-sectional anatomy. Thirty-one credits are awarded for the satisfactory completion of the clinical year.
Travel Policies
Travel to, from and within the affiliated hospitals is the responsibility of the student.
Course Requirements
Courses required for the certificate must have been taken within the past 10 years.
The following courses must be completed with a grade of C or above before admission to the clinical year.
(Accreditation Standards for Nuclear Medicine Technologist Education 2010)
- BIO 117/217 Anatomy and Physiology I 4 credits
- BIO 118/218 Anatomy and Physiology II 4 credits
- BIO 236 Cell and Molecular Biology 4 credits
- BIO 320 Biomedical Ethics 3 credits
- BIO 342 Radiation Biology 4 credits
- PHY 101 Introductory College Physics I 4 credits
- PHY 102 Introductory College Physics II 4 credits
- CHE College Chemistry 4 credits
- MAT College Algebra or above 3 credits
- English Two courses 6 credits
Admission to the Clinical Year
No student will be allowed to begin the clinical year without documentation that she/he meets all of the following requirements:
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.750
- Nuclear Medicine Technology Program application and letter of intent form
- Clearance from Health Services
- CPR Certification (Health Care Professional Level)
- FBI Identification Record Request – Federal Criminal History Check
- Completed and submitted Child Abuse Check
- Proof of health insurance (CCC health insurance is acceptable)
Nuclear Medicine Technology students are responsible for any fees involved when obtaining the required health insurance, physical exam, background checks, immunizations, CPR training and other requirements.
Clinical Year
The clinical year begins in early June and is generally completed by the end of April of the following year. Students in the clinical year are required to receive a grade of C or above in all required courses and must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.750 to remain in the clinical year and the program.
Academic instruction for the professional nuclear medicine technology curriculum will include the following courses:
- NMT 411 Nuclear Imaging and Instrumentation 6 credits
- NMT 413 Clinical Practicum 2 credits
- NMT 415 Cross-Sectional Anatomy 2 credits
- NMT 421 Nuclear Physics and Radiation Safety 2 credits
- NMT 425 Patient Care 1 credit
- NMT 430 Radiopharmaceuticals 1 credit
- NMT 461 Introduction to CT 1 credit
- NMT 412 Nuclear Imaging and Instrumentation 6 credits
- NMT 414 Clinical Practicum 2 credits
- NMT 424 Statistics 1 credit
- NMT 426 Quality Assurance 1 credit
- NMT 428 Computers in Medical Imaging 1 credit
- NMT 432 Non-Imaging Procedures 1 credit
- NMT 441 Nuclear Oncology 1 credit
- NMT 451 Clinical Seminar/Research 2 credits
- NMT 452 Patient Ethics 1 credit
Acceptance into the clinical year is competitive and not guaranteed by satisfaction of the minimum requirements. It is based on academic performance (minimum cumulative GPA of 2.750), the available number of positions in the clinical program and student interviews conducted by the educational and clinical program coordinators.
Departmental Review for Clinical Year Placement
Students majoring in Nuclear Medicine Technology are required to complete a clinical experience. Because this requirement necessitates working with the public in a professional setting, it is important that the student has advanced interpersonal skills, mature judgment and appropriate professional demeanor. Thus faculty will review students prior to the clinical experience and make recommendations up to and including removal from placement.
