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Nuclear Medicine Technologist

$101,370
median / year
$78,080 – $134,500
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Prepare and administer radioactive drugs, then run scanners that image how organs and tissues work.

You may also see this posted as: Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist (CNMT), Nuclear Cardiology Technologist, Nuclear Medicine Technologist (NMT), Staff Nuclear Medicine Technologist, Nuclear Medicine PET-CT Technologist (Nuclear Medicine Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography Technologist), Radiation Safety Officer.

Where you work

Hospitals and imaging centers, near radiation safety controls.

The hours

Mostly full-time days, with some on-call

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Administer radiopharmaceuticals or radiation intravenously to detect or treat diseases, using radioisotope equipment, under direction of a physician.
  • Detect and map radiopharmaceuticals in patients' bodies, using a camera to produce photographic or computer images.
  • Process cardiac function studies, using computer.
  • Calculate, measure, and record radiation dosage or radiopharmaceuticals received, used, and disposed, using computer and following physician's prescription.
  • Record and process results of procedures.

Good fit if you like…

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

Investigative

solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

O*NET job zone 3 of 5

Medium preparation—often vocational training, an associate degree, or substantial experience—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailCautiousnessDependabilityCooperation

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

MEDITECH softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft Word

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$101,370
per year
Hourly median
$48.74
per hour
What most earn
$78,080–$134,500
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~900
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+3%
About average
Working in the U.S.
17,080
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 13.7% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Associate degree

Training path: Associate degree + certification.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

Most employers require certification through the NMTCB or ARRT, and some states also require a license.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Imaging equipmentPatient careRadiation safetyAttention to detail

The honest take

One of the strongest associate-degree paychecks in health care, though openings stay thin.

Standard Occupational Classification 29-2033. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.