Here’s a little background. I moved to Gainesville four years ago to go back to school. I’ve always worked with manual labor jobs such as lawn work, air conditioning, and restaurants. I never imagined myself in a medical based career. Then almost three years ago I got hired at Shands AGH as an EKG tech. That opened my eyes to a whole field of possibilities. I work in the stress lab where we perform both treadmill and chemical stress tests. Nuclear Medicine comes into play with the chemical tests.

Nuclear Medicine is mainly used for diagnostic testing. It uses things called radioactive isotopes, introduced either by mouth or IV, to help illuminate different organs in the body. After administering the chemical the patient is put on what is called a Gamma Camera. It is this camera that allows the organs to be viewed. An example of how they are used is with chemical stress testing. One test is called an Adenosine Thallium stress test. During this test the patient is injected with a radioactive isotope and pictures are taken. They are then taken to the stress lab and allowed to lay on a stretcher.  The nurse goes over a series of medical history questions with the patient.  The patient is given a dose of a drug called Adenosine, which is injected over 6 minutes.  At the 3 minute mark when the patient's blood vessels are dialated, the radioactive tracer is injected.  The Adednosine runs for another 3 minutes and then the drug is stopped. The patient is then allowed to rest and recover for 45 minutes, after which another set of Gamma Camera pictures is taken. The results are given to a Cardiologist (Doctor that specializes with the heart) for interpretation.

One of the first things that people look at when trying to find a career is money. How much can I make? Well, Nuclear Medicine could definitely be high on your list of possibilities when it comes to making a good living. According to Career One Stop, Pathways to Career Success the average yearly income in the state of Florida is $62,800. Another question often asked is, “How hard will it be to find a job?”. Well, according to the same website the projected job openings are supposed to increase by and average of 25%, from 1,190 in 2004 to 1,490 in 2014.

As with any career education is necessary. Whether it be OJT (On the Job Training) or an actual College education. With Nuclear Medicine it requires the latter. The program is a 2 year program. The first year you will have class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with clinicals on Tuesday and Thursday. Your second year will be the opposite. There are a number of very good Colleges and Universities that offer the Nuclear Medicine program. I have listed some college websites under "helpful links" at the top of this page. Also, included are other links giving you access to job opportunities, printed material on Nuclear Medicine, and deeper descriptions of the career.

I hope that you find my website useful and helpful if you are considering Nuclear Medicine as a career choice. Please feel free to offer any feedback for improvements.