How to Become a Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Prepare and administer radioactive tracers for diagnostic scans and therapies, operating some of medicine's most specialized imaging equipment. It typically requires an associate degree, with a median salary of $101,370 per year and about average projected job growth.
Median pay
$101,370/yr
Middle half
$86,720 to $117,120
Job growth
About average
Openings / yr
900
Majors that lead here
Key skills
- Radiopharmaceuticals
- Imaging
- Radiation Safety
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
Helpful certifications
- CNMT (Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist)
Is this career a fit?
Remote-friendly
1/100
Work-life balance
75/100
Stress level
72/100
Related careers
- Psychiatrist$281,870 median
- Physician (Family Medicine)$244,180 median
- Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)$236,590 median
- Dentist$170,950 median
- Pharmacist$140,910 median
- Optometrist$136,570 median
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Nuclear Medicine Technologist make?
The median pay for a Nuclear Medicine Technologist is $101,370 a year, and the middle half of workers earn between $86,720 and $117,120 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). That covers everyone in the job, not only people starting out, so newer workers sit toward the lower end.
What degree do you need to become a Nuclear Medicine Technologist?
The usual entry point is an associate degree. Common majors are Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiologic Sciences, and Health Sciences.
Is Nuclear Medicine Technologist a growing field?
Projected job growth for this role from 2024 to 2034 is about average (BLS projections via O*NET), with roughly 900 U.S. openings a year.
What skills does a Nuclear Medicine Technologist use most?
Common skills for this role are Radiopharmaceuticals, Imaging, Radiation Safety, Monitoring, and Critical Thinking.
Planning to become a Nuclear Medicine Technologist?
Save this career to your PlanexAI path and track the majors, courses, and milestones that lead to it.
Not sure this is right for you?
Take our free 2-minute quiz to match your interests to majors and careers.
Take the major quizWhere these pay figures come from
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.
Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).