Under general supervision, administer radiopharmaceuticals, operate nuclear medicine imaging equipment and perform required quality activities to obtain diagnostic images to diagnose disease and guide patient management. Exam requests are screened for appropriateness and approved by a radiologist before an exam is initiated. Exams are largely done by established protocol however some clinical presentations may require the technologist to tailor exams to meet the unique requirements.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to : Perform required procedures for safe receipt, handling, transport, usage, storage and disposal of radioactive materials compliant with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), National Health Physics Program (NHPP), Department of Transportation (DOT) and license conditions. Apply knowledge of specific precautions to different various types of packaging and contents. Recognize potential radiation contamination by visual and mechanical methods. Take necessary actions to minimize contamination and exposure to self, public and coworkers. Contact the Radiopharmacy and Radiation Safety Officer for clarification and guidance. Perform daily laboratory surveys; wipe tests and bio-assays. Recognize evidence of contamination and act accordingly to maintain ALARA principles. Calibrate thyroid uptake system, gamma cameras, dose calibrators and well counter. Adjust and maintain instruments, verify correct operation using established procedures and quality control standards. Identify and record the cause of problems when they occur. Troubleshoot issues and make simple corrections when possible. Facilitate scheduling of repairs and/or maintenance as needed. Complete phantom exercises directed under the auspices of the National Nuclear Medicine Program Office. Clinical and Technical Duties Receive patients, confirm patient identification, obtain patient history, provide patient education, provide reassurance and ensure patient comfort. Perform fall risk assessment and mobilize appropriate assistive lifting and transfer devices as needed. Apply strategies to reduce risk of falls - remove obstacles and tripping hazards. Continually assess the condition and needs of patients to ensure patient safety, comfort, privacy and dignity. Coordinate care to provide service timely to the clinical need. Review exam requests for appropriateness before performing exams. Use appropriateness criteria, the clinical history provided on the request, patient interview, chart review or contact with the ordering clinician to clarify as needed. Screen for duplicate requests, duplicate of a recent exam (either in house or at an outside facility), or redundant evaluation covered by another imaging modality (e.g. PET, CT, MRI). Discontinue duplicate orders. Present unresolvable discrepancies or deficient indications to the Supervisor NMT or a radiologist. Ensure that the exam protocol is approved and request signed by a radiologist before initiation of an exam. Apply principles of customer service and whole health to promote a positive patient experience. Assist schedulers in making appointments that are timely, coordinated with other appointments when possible to reduce travel burden, and aligned with the overall care plan. Maintain awareness of imaging orders outside the immediate section to ensure completion of as many orders as feasible at the same visit. Inform patients and families in the waiting area when there are delays. Ensure prompt notification of scheduled patients for clinic cancellations, and ensure that new appointments are close to the original date, ideally within two weeks. Seek opportunity to assist patient in general ways that may be direct, such as helping them to a nearest restroom, or indirect, such as helping staff from other sections or services who are advocating for a patient. The incumbent largely functions independently, and maintains self-directed exam workflow, quality control and safety. The primary supervisor is the Supervisory NMT who provides general oversight of work assignments, quality assurance and technical guidance. The Supervisory NMT develops and issues performance plans and completes performance appraisals. The radiologist staff provide additional clinical oversight of exam appropriateness, protocols, and image quality. The Imaging Service Chief provides overall approval of policy and procedures. Written guidance includes standard operating procedures, as well as policy and guidance established by the medical center, VA, Joint Commission, American College of Radiology, Society of Nuclear Medicine, National Health Physics Program, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Transportation and other regulatory or authoritative agencies. Work Schedule: Weekdays As needed (PRN), Hours TBD, Intermittent Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. [NMTs] must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, of VA Handbook 5005. Certification. All applicants must be certified in nuclear medicine technology by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) or the American Registry of Radiologic Technology (ARRT) (N). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Completion of 1 year of [creditable] experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) directly related to the position to be filled. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. The candidate must demonstrate all of the following technical KSAs: Ability to produce and assess high quality scans and quality control images using independent judgement to recognize abnormal or unacceptable results. Knowledge and skill in use of ancillary equipment with an understanding of how the results will affect the study outcome. Knowledge of physiologic processes as they relate to altered radiopharmaceutical uptake and/or artefactual findings. Ability to obtain, assess, and document pre-therapy patient preparation information and provide post-therapy patient education following proper administration of advanced therapy dose. Ability to develop new protocols for imaging procedures. Ability to analyze instances of increased radiation exposure levels and recommend measures to reduce. Ability to analyze consequences of improper packaging of radioactive material and take appropriate actions. Physical Requirements: In the course of rendering appropriate patient care and obtaining results of functional studies and imaging procedures, the technologist will be required to assist the patient in assuming the proper position which may call for the technologist to stoop and bend in order to lift and position the patient into an appropriate manner for obtaining the required data. Performance of the major portion of the in vitro and functional testing will require that the technologist spend a great deal of time on his/her feet. There will occasionally be the necessity for moving heavy equipment to various rooms. The requirement that the technologist handle radiopharmaceuticals carries with it the implied requirement that the material be continuously shielded within heavy barriers, which imposes an additional physical task upon the incumbent. The technologist will be called upon to receive and handle shipments of radiopharmaceuticals, which will arrive with large amounts of heavy shielding about them, requiring significant physical effort to receive and store these in a proper manner. Preferred Experience: The work requires a professional knowledge of the field of Nuclear Medicine Technology and those aspects of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and the biomedical sciences that relate to Nuclear Medicine. The following are requirements for appointment as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Nuclear Medicine Technologists (NMTs) perform a wide variety of functional studies of organs and/or systems involving static and dynamic imaging procedures, injection of radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals, and the use of such specialized equipment as integrated computer/imaging systems, Single photon Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (SPECT/CT), Positron Emission Tomography- Computed Tomography (PET and PET/CT), in combination with variety of radioimmunoassay (in vivo and in vitro procedures) such as Pyrophosphate, Ultra tag Red Blood Cell labeling and others. Other functions performed include Radiation Safety procedures, assistance with Radionuclide Therapies, database management which includes management of images with the Hospital Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), Veteran Health Information system and Technology Architecture (VISTA) Radiology Package systems. The technologist covers staff annual leave and sick leave on an as needed basis throughout the department. They may also be asked to work various shifts as priorities demonstrate a need. All applicants must be certified in Nuclear Medicine Technology by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) or American Registry of Radiologic Technology (ARRT) and be in good standing with certifying body. It is preferred the applicant be certified in CT but not mandatory. Prefer a minimum of 5 years of working experience as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Charles George VA Medical Center 1100 Tunnel Road Asheville, NC 28805 US
• Name: Cesar Busanet
• Phone: 980-401-2564
• Email: [email protected]