The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) is looking for help from working professionals in nuclear medicine. We encourage you to review the proposed changes to the Nuclear Medicine Technology Examination Content Specifications and Clinical Competency Requirements.
Our goal is to produce comprehensive, accurate, and fair documents that cover the knowledge and cognitive skills required of therapists. ARRT’s examinations are job-related. That is, we only include topics if knowledge of those topics relates directly to a clinical activity typically required in one’s job. A survey of possible tasks was sent to 1,500 current nuclear medicine technologists to determine these topics. Results were used to update the content specifications and clinical competency requirements.
ARRT’s Nuclear Medicine Technology Practice Analysis Advisory Committee (composed of subject matter experts from throughout the nation) began working on these documents in September 2019 and will complete work on them later this year. After that, ARRT’s Board of Trustees will review the proposed changes. The revised nuclear medicine technology documents have a scheduled implementation date of January 1, 2022.
SUMMARY OF MAJOR PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE NUCLEAR MEDICINE TECHNOLOGY EXAMINATION CONTENT SPECIFICATIONS
Patient Care Section
A pharmacology section was added to include content about patient history and complications of medications used for procedures.
The patient care section was updated to reflect current practice and guidelines.
Safety Section
Target interactions in CT and patient dose reduction and optimization were added.
Additional detail in units of measurement and somatic effects were added.
Image Production Section
Air calibration for CT and cardiac gating for PET were added to the PET/CT scanner section. In the data processing and imaging informatics sections, addition details were added.
Procedures Section
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma therapy, damaged RBC spleen, and radionuclide cystogram were removed.
Cardiac amyloid imaging and targeted radiotherapy (e.g., endocrine) were added. Lymphoscintigraphy was divided into three subsections.
Additionally, we updated wording on multiple topics for clarification and consistency.
SUMMARY OF THE MAJOR PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CLINICAL COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS
Details about simulating procedures were added.
Two additional general patient care procedures were added.
One additional quality control procedure was added.
The total number of required diagnostic and therapeutic procedures remains the same at 25. Some of the procedures changed categories.
Lymphoscintigraphy was divided into three separate competencies and made into its own category.
Up to four diagnostic or therapeutic procedures may be simulated.
Additionally, we updated wording for clarification and consistency.
REVIEW THE DOCUMENTS AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK
We invite you to review the documents below and provide feedback through an online survey (live until October 12, 2020). The survey is the official method by which we track feedback. The Nuclear Medicine Technology Practice Analysis Advisory Committee will review all comments and may make additional changes based on your feedback.
Note: Additions are in blue and deletions are in strikethrough red in the drafts.
QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about how the proposed changes may affect your eligibility for certification and registration in Nuclear Medicine, call our Initial Certification Department at 651.687.0048. Choose the option for earning an ARRT credential.
Thank you for your contribution to this important project.