Nuclear Medicine Technician

Overview

This position is located at Moncrief Army Health Clinic, Fort Jackson SC.

Moncrief Army Health Clinic is located on Fort Jackson, South Carolina and is part of the 82 square mile military installation located adjacent to the state capital of Columbia.

Moncrief is named in honor of Colonel William Henry Moncrief, Sr., a former Army Medical Corps surgeon whose career spanned over 41 years of dedicated service. Following his retirement from active duty in 1939, Colonel Moncrief moved to Columbia where he served as Administrator of the South Carolina Sanatorium at State Park until 1954.

Dedicated in 1972 as Moncrief Army Community Hospital, the clinic is a modern medical complex covering 323,000 square feet. Within the 12-story facility and its related clinics, a wide range of medical services are available, ensuring quality and comprehensive medical care.

To enhance services, agreements exist between Moncrief and various universities and other health care facilities. These affiliations provide for student instruction and supervision for clinical learning experiences and an enriched spectrum of clinical modalities. The University of South Carolina, College of Nursing, and a number of college-level programs are offered through the post Education Center. Residents from the University of South Carolina Medical School, Providence Health and Prisma Health, currently rotate with several medical services at Moncrief. Excellence through education continues as Columbia has available six colleges, two seminaries and two universities.

Links: https://moncrief.tricare.mil/

https://home.army.mil/jackson/index.php

Responsibilities

As a Nuclear Medicine Technician you will:

Performs highly-complex diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine tests and treatments requiring a comprehensive knowledge of nuclear medicine technology, procedures, and methods as gained through specialized clinical nuclear medicine education and extensive training. Tests are performed directly on patients ranging from children to adults of all ages and who may be ambulatory, non-ambulatory, or physically connected to life support apparatus or other medical support systems; or on pathological specimens from humans or animals. Duties include the conduct of tests using radiopharmaceuticals; operation of state of the art camera and computer equipment; reading and interpreting clinician requests) medical and scientific information and data; reporting and explaining test results and the handling, processing, storing, and disposing of radioactive materials and products. Performs administrative duties inherent to assigned work.

Receives patients presenting requests for nuclear medicine diagnostic tests or therapeutic treatments. Interprets referring physician's request; identifies specific tests or treatments to be administered based on knowledge of available procedures) indications, and applicability of tests or therapy and patient's medical condition. Identifies physician prepared requests that are vague or incomplete or otherwise require clarification on purpose of test and consults with supervisor or referring physician before conducting test or treatment. Prepares radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals appropriate for the particular diagnostic test or treatment to be performed using a thorough knowledge of radiation dosimetry including calculations specific to the individual patient's anatomy (height, weight, age, density) and medical condition. Draws calibrated dose and compounds radiopharmaceuticals within the parameters set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Assists the patient into proper position to obtain the best results for tests and therapy; exercises care in handling patients on life support apparatus. Explains processes and procedures to patients or care giver attempting to alleviate fear and apprehension caused by the clinical testing environment and equipment. Administers emergency care to patients as needed. Exercises a thorough knowledge of radiation dosimetry including radiation protection standards, devices, and techniques; units of radiation exposure and dose; licensing, NRC regulations; accountability by strict records, receipts, handling, storage, transportation, and disposal of radioactive materials; monitoring and shielding methods; dose distance relationships; personnel dosimetry; radiation safety clothing; classical and M.I.R.D. methods of absorbed dose calculations; and radioactive spill procedures including the immediate action required in the event of radioactive contamination. In accomplishing various tests and therapy treatments the employee applies an extensive knowledge of radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals including basic principles of a MO-OO/TC-99m generator; radiopharmaceuticals and their action within the body; and preparation of radiopharmaceuticals using generator produced nuclides. Keeps knowledge current of therapeutic and diagnostic procedures and studies used; pharmaceuticals, nuclides and radiopharmaceuticals used to obtain requested procedures (treatment) or studies; methods of radioisotope administration; potential side effects and/or reactions within nuclear medicine administration; acceptable dosages and ranges of products; pertinent regulatory guides (e.g., administration of radioactive materials to minors or females of child bearing age); techniques employing intravenous, intramuscular, intrastitial, inhalation, or oral administration of radioactive materials; and safety procedures and practices.

Applies an extensive knowledge of imaging techniques and methodology of specific and nonspecific organ imaging and/or data acquisition including the recognition of scans which illustrate a lesion or abnormality and the demonstration of a lesion through contrast control, data manipulation, etc., to optimize clarity for diagnostic use; recognition of the need for additional views or different positions to fully illustrate a lesion or abnormality; recognizing and changing the patients' positions when hard to visualize organs have not been properly imaged, or taking additional views to improve the study; recognizing when patient motion or artifacts have caused poor results and additional views are needed. Applies a thorough knowledge of physiology and cross-sectional anatomy such as the location, appearance, and function of the various major and minor systems susceptible to radioisotope concentration; the physical abnormalities associated with most common diseases) or distinctive lesions customarily identified by specific radioisotope images and/or data acquisition in order to accomplish nuclear medicine studies and facilitate the therapy treatments and diagnosis of serious medical problems.

Operates a wide variety of specialized nuclear medicine equipment, devices and components having delicate and sensitive instrumentation including photomultiplier tubes; scintillation Gamma cameras (stationary) mobile) planar, and spect); single crystal rectilinear scanners; uptake determination probe systems; dose calibrators; survey meters (cutie pie and Geiger-Mueller; automatic scintillation spectrometers; and multi-channel analyzers; rate meters; scalers; timers; photomultiplier tubes; scintillation crystals; colimators; high energy voltage; upper and lower level discriminators; pulse height analyzers; persistence scopes and others. Applies a thorough understanding of the function and relationship of nuclear physics in the interaction with each instrument and the procedures employed to obtain maximum use of specific instruments required of nuclear medicine procedures. Prepares radiopharmaceuticals for in-vitro binding or specific organ concentration as requested by the licensed physician. Prepares radioactively labeled autologous blood cells using appropriate sterile procedures. Performs static or dynamic) specific or nonspecific organ imaging as directed by physician by using current state-of-the-art stationary or portable Gamma cameras) rectilinear scanners) uptake probes or hand held Gamma counters, planar or single photon emission computed tomography gamma cameras. Independently determines appropriate images for individual patients) adjusts procedures as needed.

Qualifications

US Citizenship required

Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75. Essentially, they must (l) have successfully completed an educational program that meets or exceeds the standards described in that regulation, and is accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education, and (2) be certified as radiographers in their field. The following meet the above requirements:

(l) Persons employed by the Federal Government as radiologic personnel prior to the effective date of the regulation (January 13, 1986) who show evidence of current or fully satisfactory performance or certification of such from a licensed practitioner such as a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, podiatry, or chiropractic who prescribes radiologic procedures to others.

(2) Persons first employed by the Federal Government as radiologic personnel after the effective date of the regulation who (a) received training from institutions in a State or foreign jurisdiction that did not accredit training in that particular field at the time of graduation, or (b) practiced in a State or foreign jurisdiction that did not license that particular field or did not allow special eligibility to take a licensure examination for those who did not graduate from an accredited educational program, provided that such persons show evidence of training, experience, and competence as determined by OPM or the employing agency.

Have at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as: performing nuclear medicine studies or examinations, providing support to physicians or other professional nuclear medicine personnel in the diagnosis, care, or treatment of patients and providing therapeutic application of radiopharmaceuticals.