Non-nuc boarded

[Larry Renal]

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Hi all:

Simple question. Is the scope of practice different for physician A, who is level 2 nuc trained without nuc boards or license and physician B, who is the same but is boarded in nucs? I understand the job market implications, but are there PRACTICAL differences?

Thanks.

 

[dragonfly99]

Being boarded mainly means that you took an extra exam, but to be Level 2 in cardiology nuclear, you have to have completed large # of classroom and practical hours of nuclear physics and read several hundred nuclear studies, and run nuclear studies/stress tests. The only difference is to get "boarded" you have to pass an extra exam. So I guess that proves some level of clinical knowledge but not necessarily any more competence, necessarily. It is not currently required. One could argue whether there is a "practical difference" or not. I would say probably not in most cases, but some ppl say insurance companies may soon require ppl who read nuclear stress tests to be "boarded".

 

[Larry Renal]

Thanks dragonfly.

So it seems that in 2014 at least, I can read nucs in an office setting and be authorized in the hospital as well with solely the credentials attained during fellowship.

In this context, what is the role of a nuclear license? I don't have one and as far as I can tell, it is only necessary for the director of a lab. Is this correct?

Thanks very much.

 

[famdoc83]

bump...also interested in this.

 

[gutonc]

So it seems that in 2014 at least, I can read nucs in an office setting and be authorized in the hospital as well with solely the credentials attained during fellowship.

As with any other procedure, you can do whatever any particular hospital will credential you to do. So they may be fine with your numbers from fellowship or they may require you to be nucs boarded (unlikely).

 

[sacrament]

I got boarded in echo and nuke, thinking maybe it would give me an edge in the job market. Nobody I interviewed with seemed to give a crap. It was probably a waste of money. I do suspect it will become mandatory someday, however.

 

[joejabjab]

I got boarded in echo and nuke, thinking maybe it would give me an edge in the job market. Nobody I interviewed with seemed to give a crap. It was probably a waste of money. I do suspect it will become mandatory someday, however.

Ssacrament, what kind of cardiologist are you? Non-invasive, invasive, interventional. . .etc? I'm debating signing up for these board exams right now. So expensive 🙁 Thanks

 

[P Diddy]

Hi all:

Simple question. Is the scope of practice different for physician A, who is level 2 nuc trained without nuc boards or license and physician B, who is the same but is boarded in nucs? I understand the job market implications, but are there PRACTICAL differences?

Thanks.

It depends. In most private practices you don't need to be nuclear or echo boarded to read echo or nuclear studies. There needs to be someone who is nuclear certified to supervise the radioactive materials, but not necessarily nuclear boarded.

In academics, many centers will want you to be boarded in the imaging field you want to practice in; it's one way to keep lucrative studies within the purview of imaging faculty.

As Sacrament mentions, the trend is toward more certification (see MOC), so eventually more centers will ask for board certification; then the extra hoops/money will be worth it. I imagine that will be in 20 years.

p diddy