Survey: job satisfaction high among nuclear medicine technologists
Nuclear medicine technologists have high job satisfaction for a number of reasons, including their salaries and education which puts them in a position to gain from the expected growth in the specialty, according to recent survey sponsored by SNMTS, a scientific organization focused on the molecular imaging, nuclear medicine and technology space. “More than 2,200 nuclear medicine technologists (certified either by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board or the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) responded to 60 questions about all aspects of the profession,” said Anthony Knight, chaired of the SNMTS Advisory Committee for the survey. According to the findings, 60.5 percent of technologists expect to remain in their current positions for the next five years. However, a majority (53.3 percent) believe that more training would be necessary during this timeframe, said Knight. Technologists indicated that they will need training in CT (19.5 percent), PET/CT (37.7 percent), single photon emission computed tomography/CT (13.1 percent), and MRI (3 percent) and mammography/PET (1.2 percent). Additional survey finding include:
  • The average total salary of full-time technologists (including wages from being “on call”) is $70,470. Nuclear medicine technologists working with fusion imaging (such as PET/CT) earn higher salaries than those working in general nuclear medicine. Average total salaries are highest in the West ($82,890) and the Mid-Atlantic region ($71,260); the lowest average salaries are found in the Mountain ($60,690) and Mid-West ($63,210) states;
  • A majority (53.7 percent) of respondents are very satisfied with their jobs;
  • States with the largest numbers of nuc med technologists include Nebraska, South Dakota and West Virginia whereas the smallest concentration are in Oklahoma and Nevada;
  • The majority of technologists (74.6 percent) are involved in general nuclear medicine practice, though (4.6 percent) spend time working with other modalities, including PET, PET/CT and SPECT/CT. Most work in hospitals or medical centers (54.8 percent), while 15.9 percent work in cardiology specialty centers. The majority of active nuclear medicine technologists being women who are in their mid-forties, the study found;
  • Over 90 percent of nuclear medicine technologists indicated they had completed some college education; and
  • Around 70 percent of the respondents indicated that their home states require them to hold a license.
For complete survey results: www.snm.org
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