Nuclear Medicine

[junlujlu]

I was wondering if there is any future or hope if you only do the two year Nuc Med programs

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[f_w]

> I was wondering if there is any future or hope if you only
> do the two year Nuc Med programs

No.

Recently, there was a longer and for a change almost civil thread on the subject on auntminnie.com

 

[pmnchk]

> I was wondering if there is any future or hope if you only
> do the two year Nuc Med programs

No.

Recently, there was a longer and for a change almost civil thread on the subject on auntminnie.com

Hi, I was looking into nuclear medicine as a residency and was suprised that the average salary is $260 000 for a 2 year program? what is the catch? how competitive is this field? Please any info would be a huge help

thx

 

[f_w]

> that the average salary is $260 000 for a 2 year program?
> what is the catch?

The catch is that there is no such job, at least not for recent graduates.
The average number is based on plenty of old folks who are nucmed physicians but are partners in radiology groups or have long existing practices.

> how competitive is this field? Please any info would be a huge help

The residencies are distinctly noncompetitive. All but the top programs are scrambling for people to fill their spots.

Finding a job after the 2 year reidency is very very difficult. Most nucmed residents realize that and try to get into a radiology program.

 

[pmnchk]

> that the average salary is $260 000 for a 2 year program?
> what is the catch?

The catch is that there is no such job, at least not for recent graduates.
The average number is based on plenty of old folks who are nucmed physicians but are partners in radiology groups or have long existing practices.

> how competitive is this field? Please any info would be a huge help

The residencies are distinctly noncompetitive. All but the top programs are scrambling for people to fill their spots.

Finding a job after the 2 year reidency is very very difficult. Most nucmed residents realize that and try to get into a radiology program.

Thanks for the info.... I guess I'll skip that one for a career I read that there were only 5 positions in 2004?...... so how bout radiation oncology?? lot tougher than diagnostic radiology?? hard to find jobs?

 

[f_w]

> Thanks for the info.... I guess I'll skip that one for a career

Well, if you are interested to do nucs, try to get a radiology residency and do a nucs fellowship.

> I read that there were only 5 positions in 2004?......

I think there are something like 60 residents finishing every year. Check out the statistics page on the FREIDA database.


> so how bout radiation oncology?? lot tougher than diagnostic
> radiology?? hard to find jobs?

Great specialty. It is extremely competitive to get into the residency. But I believe that the job situation is ok these days.

 

[rrreagan]

> that the average salary is $260 000 for a 2 year program?
> what is the catch?

The catch is that there is no such job, at least not for recent graduates.
The average number is based on plenty of old folks who are nucmed physicians but are partners in radiology groups or have long existing practices.

> how competitive is this field? Please any info would be a huge help

The residencies are distinctly noncompetitive. All but the top programs are scrambling for people to fill their spots.

Finding a job after the 2 year reidency is very very difficult. Most nucmed residents realize that and try to get into a radiology program.

I did a lot of investigation and can confirm this. In my 'town' of 600,000+, there are few, if any, straight nuclear medicine jobs.

Most of the CARDIAC nuclear medicine studies are read by CARDIOLOGISTS.

Most of the thyroid studies are read by ENDOCRINOLOGISTS.

Straight Nuclear Medicine positions are quite rare.

 

[Imhotep]

I did a lot of investigation and can confirm this. In my 'town' of 600,000+, there are few, if any, straight nuclear medicine jobs.

Most of the CARDIAC nuclear medicine studies are read by CARDIOLOGISTS.

Most of the thyroid studies are read by ENDOCRINOLOGISTS.

Straight Nuclear Medicine positions are quite rare.

I am finishing nuc med residency this summer and had no problem finding a job. Yes, it is difficult, if not impossible to get a job in a small/midsize city due to lack of volumes, but there are certainly opportunities in big cities. From 2007 onwards, nuc med will become a 4 year residency, just like Derm ,Neuro etc....with greater emphasis on Cross sectional imaging, particularly CT. In my program, residents get dedicated CT training.
And yes, most of the jobs are in academia.

 

[Pureride]

I recently matched in Nucs as well.
I was previously a categorical third year in a program that I was miserable in. (urology)

I do understand that it will be tougher to get a job out of this field than from the field that I was formerly in. And although, difficulty of job placement is a very important factor to consider there are few things worse than being stuck in a field that you are not passionate about. I mean, this is not just residency, its th rest of our lives.

Find what it is that you love....not what you field you "end up in".
You gotta do what you love!

 

[BenHoganFan]

The allure of Nucs is PET and Cardiac imaging (Myocardial perfusion, Rubidium). It is more clinical and has more patient contact than other imaging modalities.

A majority of my staff in Nucs has a primary specialty such as Endocrinology or Neurology, as wells as Diagnostic Radiology.

Nucs is infrequently utilized for call (V/Q and DISIDA scans). It has big merit in academia and a good deal of pediatric GU imaging is performed at Children's Hospitals.

A good number of clinicians have limited understanding of its utility. As this specialty evolves it will have a more secure place. A marketing campaign should be done to bring it forward.