ASRT, SNMTS work together to further PET-CT training

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine Technologist Section (SNMTS) will collaborate to advance education for technologists to gain competency in PET-CT imaging.

Addressing the discrepancy between the number of dual-modality systems deployed in healthcare environments and the lack of technologists certified in both radiography and nuclear medicine and both nuclear medicine and CT, the organizations designed a curriculum that identifies gaps in the education of radiography, radiation therapy and nuclear medicine technologists who wish to perform PET-CT.

"The PET-CT curriculum opens doors for technologists, no matter what their background, to identify the education they'll need in order to manage their career in a dynamic industry," said Kevin Powers, director of education at ASRT. "In addition, the curriculum aids managers in identifying the links between emerging technology and the opportunities it presents for staff development."

"Both the ASRT and SNMTS recognized early on how important it is to bring together the stakeholders of PET-CT to outline an infrastructure and a plan that could be adapted for evolving multi-modal applications," said SNMTS President Lyn M. Mehlberg, BS, CNMT, FSNMTS. "This PET-CT curriculum is the product of a multi-organizational effort to define the educational needs of imaging technologists and radiation therapists and establish a pathway for producing competent qualified technologists to operate this unique equipment. Collaboration is key to the advancement of these emerging multi-modality imaging technologies."

Around the web

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.

The newly cleared offering, AutoChamber, was designed with opportunistic screening in mind. It can evaluate many different kinds of CT images, including those originally gathered to screen patients for lung cancer. 

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup