Surprised at my disappointment

I was intrigued by nuclear medicine and looked into the educational path to become a nuclear med tech. The starting salary is $50K! I was surprised and elated to find out it is only a 1 year program if you already have a BS in sciences which I have. Unfortunately as it turns out the program is full time from 7 am to 3:30 pm M-F for the full year starting July 1st.

My heart just sank. I still have my two and half year old at home with me and just didn't think he would be ready for full time daycare from 6:30 am to 4 pm. And then there are my older 1st and 2nd grader who gets out of school at 3:20 - I'm have to make arrangements for before and after care for them also.

The disappointment I feel really takes me by surprise. I really want to go back to school so I can be ready to enter the work force by the time my youngest is in kindergarten but it just doesn't seem feasible if the program is so time intensive. If only it was two years but half day - then I could think it was more doable for me.

I guess I'll have to wait a few more years.

[Auspicious]

I say sell the kids for tuition money.

Just kidding. Honestly I wish I had something I really wanted to do that required only one year of additional schooling. I hope this works out for you somehow, Thu Van.

[DCJenn]

Well, that just blows, huh? Maybe next year?

Jenn

Julie, I thought about that - but I don't think it would fly with hubby. Thanks for your thoughts.

Jenn, it totally blows.

[SueC]

That is a bummer--maybe there are things you could do until you can pursue that. Can you apply to any professional organizations or subscribe to any journals? That is awesome that you found a program that you could do in a year and start out at 50K! What is nuclear medicine?

Nuclear medicine is a branch of radiology that includes MRI's, cat scans, etc. Basically you're the person the dr. sends you to to get your image testing done.

I am a bit bummed, Sue. But I'm thinking this fall, I'll put Daniel in a mother's day out program for a couple of days a week to get his feet wet so to speak. I don't think either he or I am ready for full time daycare at this point. So when I do enroll in a year or so it won't be such a big adjustment. Who knows I might just chicken out and wait another year after that.

[SueC]

That seems like a really cool field! I have had a few MRI's before and the laboratories seemed like something out of a science fiction movie.

DON'T DO IT

PLLEEEAAAAASSEEEEEEEEEE

I beg you - the career of a nuc med tech is just fraught with problems

I have a Medical Radiation Science undergrad - as a radiation therapist rather than nuc med but I know a stack of techs who would give up limbs to get out of nuclear medicine - I can put you in touch with some if you want to know more about nuc med.

Nuclear medicine in australia does not include CT/MRT - that is the domain of radiography. Nuc med is diagnostic imaging using radio-isotopes. The more common scans are bone scan, lung scans (looking for PE mostly) brains and cardiac work. Radiographers who do CT/MRI have different licences that NM and they cannot use radioactive isotopes.

As a nuc med you draw up the dose (or the person in hot lab does) inject the patient and then scan them. The images are then read by the nuc med physician.

Be sure that you know EXACTLY what you are signing up for - NM techs, Radiation therapists and radiographers worldwide are leaving their respective professions in droves and there are a number of reasons for it.

The number one is that the course is fabulously interesting

but the job is as boring as all hell.

Perhaps you could look into radiography if you are more interested in CT/MRI?

PM me if you want any more info


tegan