Why study nuclear medicine at UoN?

If you like the idea of working in a health care team, helping patients and using multi-million dollar state of the art medical imaging equipment, then you should consider a career as a nuclear medicine scientist.

Nuclear medicine scientists are medical imaging professionals who are responsible for the preparation and administration of radiopharmaceuticals, performing patient imaging procedures and digitally analysing the images.

The nuclear medicine scientist is required to make decisions regarding the nature and extent of individual procedures. The results of these procedures then assist the medical practitioner in a correct diagnosis.

The role of the nuclear medicine scientist includes:

• patient assessment and care during the procedure
• dispensing and administering radiopharmaceuticals
• performing a wide range of technologically advanced imaging procedures
• data analysis and display of 3D and 4D functional and anatomical images
• highly developed communication skills with patients and health professionals in the work place and at professional meetings
• responsibility for radiation safety and occupational health and safety
• management, administration and legal requirements
• quality assurance
• professional education and development
• promotion of the profession
• research

Nuclear medicine scientists demonstrate a diverse range of skills which lead to a variety of experiences that provide a challenging and rewarding career.

25 weeks of practical experience

An essential part of the degree incorporates significant clinical experience (hands on) of approximately 25 weeks over three years. The key to the success of the clinical program is the high level of integration with the theoretical material taught on campus and clinical placements. Find out more

Our graduates are highly employable

Graduates of our nuclear medicine degree are highly regarded. The degree is focussed on student development to ensure you are work ready. Find out more

25 weeks of practical experience

An essential part of the degree incorporates significant clinical experience (hands on) of approximately 25 weeks over three years. The key to the success of the clinical program is the high level of integration with the theoretical material taught on campus and clinical placements. In each semester students undertake a placement and work with real patients to consolidate their knowledge and demonstrate competency and professional development.

As part of the professional placements program all students will undertake placements in public and private centres, which may be located in the Hunter Region or NSW and other states in Australia. Students may have the opportunity to complete a placement in New Zealand or United Kingdom.

During your professional placements, you are supervised by qualified nuclear medicine scientists.

Preparing you with on-the-job experience

As a student, you will be utilising labs on-campus including our state of the art radiopharmacy laboratory and image processing computer laboratory, where you will develop essential professional skills prior to placements. Together with the labs you will participate in lectures from experts both from the profession and the University. Throughout your degree, you will also develop and demonstrate your clinical reasoning skills.

Our graduates are highly employable

Graduates of our nuclear medicine degree are highly regarded. The degree is focussed on student development to ensure you are work ready. Nuclear medicine graduates from University of Newcastle have an impressive employment history over nearly 20 years and are in demand within Australia and across the world.

Our graduates demonstrate work ready skills, and many have had the opportunity for rapid career advancement to either senior or management roles within Australia and overseas in a relatively short period.

What is nuclear medicine?

Nuclear medicine is a medical imaging profession. Nuclear medicine scientists use a mix of high tech scanners, advanced communication skills and radioactive pharmaceuticals (radiopharmaceuticals) to investigate and image the function or physiology of the human body. The pharmaceutical targets the disease or organ of interest and the nuclear medicine scientist tracks the pharmaceutical in the body by following the radioactive tracer.

Nuclear medicine can also be used in the treatment of some diseases where radiopharmaceuticals are targeted to destroy involved tissues.

Nuclear medicine procedures may be performed on any organ system in the body and procedures include:

• skeletal scintigraphy (used to investigate a large number of illnesses, ranging from elite athletes with sports injuries to cancer patients)
• cardiac function (used to diagnose heart attacks and determine whether the damage can be repaired by surgery)
• brain scintigraphy (used to establish the epicentre of epilepsy in order to allow accurate surgical intervention and to differentiate between types of dementia)
• SPECT and PET technology hybridised with CT to produce and analyse 3D images of the human body which allow an accurate fusion of anatomical and physiological images to aid the diagnosis of the patient’s illness.

Use your degree overseas

Australia is recognised as a world leader in Medical Radiation Science (MRS). Our degree is accredited by the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine. A professional year is required after you graduate and after this, you can practice around the world. Graduates will be eligible to apply for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Please be aware that the current standard English Language Competency for registration as a practitioner in your chosen health discipline in most states of Australia is an IELTS of 7.0.