Nuclear Medicine Technologists
Also called: Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist (CNMT), Nuclear Cardiology Technologist, Nuclear Medicine Technologist (NMT), Staff Nuclear Medicine TechnologistPrepare, administer, and measure radioactive isotopes in therapeutic, diagnostic, and tracer studies using a variety of radioisotope equipment. Prepare stock solutions of radioactive materials and calculate doses to be administered by radiologists. Subject patients to radiation. Execute blood volume, red cell survival, and fat absorption studies following standard laboratory techniques.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 17 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 4.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 98% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $82,630 | $77,530 to $91,100 | 320 |
| Arizona | $100,130 | $96,310 to $108,870 | 430 |
| Arkansas | $83,670 | $75,460 to $97,170 | 190 |
| California | $162,380 | $136,820 to $178,190 | 1,500 |
| Colorado | $116,990 | $104,860 to $128,360 | 200 |
| Connecticut | $117,150 | $107,920 to $125,980 | 170 |
| Delaware | $100,470 | $92,700 to $112,630 | 70 |
| District of Columbia | $116,630 | $103,950 to $150,860 | 30 |
| Florida | $97,310 | $85,330 to $104,010 | 1,740 |
| Georgia | $100,880 | $86,530 to $107,540 | 540 |
| Hawaii | $125,650 | $114,420 to $128,780 | 30 |
| Idaho | $104,630 | $96,540 to $118,500 | 80 |
| Illinois | $104,950 | $96,540 to $117,840 | 620 |
| Indiana | $103,230 | $98,280 to $108,530 | 280 |
| Iowa | $92,890 | $83,370 to $101,370 | 150 |
| Kansas | $64,610 | $60,610 to $97,110 | 380 |
| Kentucky | $95,470 | $80,620 to $101,830 | 270 |
| Louisiana | $87,670 | $80,130 to $98,800 | 170 |
| Maine | $99,500 | $86,900 to $104,470 | 70 |
| Maryland | $104,150 | $97,510 to $113,000 | 330 |
| Massachusetts | $118,250 | $105,490 to $131,800 | 380 |
| Michigan | $95,400 | $84,590 to $98,710 | 640 |
| Minnesota | $107,380 | $103,560 to $117,120 | 200 |
| Mississippi | $83,340 | $75,980 to $89,270 | 160 |
| Missouri | $98,010 | $83,370 to $105,100 | 360 |
| Montana | $100,490 | $83,320 to $102,170 | 50 |
| Nebraska | $104,320 | $93,750 to $108,280 | 120 |
| Nevada | $109,150 | $101,160 to $118,140 | 120 |
| New Hampshire | $107,890 | $106,480 to $112,070 | 60 |
| New Jersey | $124,280 | $108,180 to $129,170 | 540 |
| New Mexico | $98,400 | $78,270 to $108,700 | 70 |
| New York | $118,650 | $104,450 to $128,200 | 890 |
| North Carolina | $85,240 | $79,380 to $98,590 | 600 |
| North Dakota | $102,640 | $80,080 to $106,000 | 50 |
| Ohio | $97,570 | $83,630 to $102,320 | 670 |
| Oklahoma | $90,640 | $84,030 to $99,600 | 200 |
| Oregon | $122,100 | $104,210 to $129,820 | 180 |
| Pennsylvania | $94,570 | $80,510 to $103,500 | 740 |
| Puerto Rico | $52,930 | $42,880 to $56,900 | 240 |
| Rhode Island | $104,000 | $104,000 to $104,000 | 110 |
| South Carolina | $90,230 | $82,470 to $98,400 | 280 |
| South Dakota | $82,010 | $65,420 to $97,720 | 140 |
| Tennessee | $84,470 | $79,440 to $96,590 | 390 |
| Texas | $101,170 | $93,440 to $111,790 | 1,060 |
| Utah | $111,770 | $104,080 to $121,670 | 120 |
| Virginia | $101,820 | $95,600 to $107,730 | 430 |
| Washington | $126,200 | $109,620 to $137,840 | 320 |
| West Virginia | $76,460 | $74,130 to $97,880 | 150 |
| Wisconsin | $98,450 | $81,880 to $107,020 | 390 |
| Wyoming | $81,900 | $78,590 to $111,280 | 40 |
Nationally: $101,370. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Administer radiopharmaceuticals or radiation intravenously to detect or treat diseases, using radioisotope equipment, under direction of a physician. | Not published |
| Not much | Detect and map radiopharmaceuticals in patients' bodies, using a camera to produce photographic or computer images. | Not published |
| Not much | Produce a computer-generated or film image for interpretation by a physician. | Not published |
| AI alone | Explain test procedures and safety precautions to patients and provide them with assistance during test procedures. | Not published |
| AI alone | Dispose of radioactive materials and store radiopharmaceuticals, following radiation safety procedures. | Not published |
| AI + software | Calculate, measure, and record radiation dosage or radiopharmaceuticals received, used, and disposed, using computer and following physician's prescription. | under 0.01% |
See all 17 tasks
| Not much | Perform quality control checks on laboratory equipment or cameras. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record and process results of procedures. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Process cardiac function studies, using computer. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain and calibrate radioisotope and laboratory equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare stock radiopharmaceuticals, adhering to safety standards that minimize radiation exposure to workers and patients. | Not published |
| AI + software | Gather information on patients' illnesses and medical history to guide the choice of diagnostic procedures for therapy. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Train or supervise student or subordinate nuclear medicine technologists. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure glandular activity, blood volume, red cell survival, or radioactivity of patient, using scanners, Geiger counters, scintillometers, or other laboratory equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Add radioactive substances to biological specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, to determine therapeutic drug or hormone levels. | Not published |
| Not much | Position radiation fields, radiation beams, and patient to allow for most effective treatment of patient's disease, using computer. | Not published |
| AI alone | Develop treatment procedures for nuclear medicine treatment programs. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 19 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #30 Perform administrative or clerical activities
- #37 Determine operational methods or procedures
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate medical equipment | |||
| Follow standard healthcare safety procedures to protect patient and staff members | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Determine operational methods or procedures | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Explain medical information to patients or family members |
Show all 19 activities
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Prepare specimens or materials for testing | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Operate laboratory or field equipment | |||
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Math or a calculation37%
- A document or report14%
- An explanation or answer14%
- An analysis or summary13%
- Advice or a recommendation4%
How they worked with Claude
41% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for nuclear medicine technologists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 4,505 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 7%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians Moderate +3.7% 4%
- 5 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians Moderate +5.0% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 3,555 moves in
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 5%
- 2 Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 3 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians Moderate +5.0% 5%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians Moderate +3.7% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 4% postsecondary certificate
- 2% some college
- 63% associate's
- 22% bachelor's
- 6% post-bachelor's certificate
- 4% professional doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 46 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% less than high school
- 6% high school
- 5% some college
- 17% associate's
- 52% bachelor's
- 17% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists” · 392 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists”
1 program: Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
99.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 64.0% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 66.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 8.4% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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