NMTEC 234 - Clinical Education V

13 CR

Final course in a five-course clinical internship sequence. Assignment to multiple sites in specialized areas of Nuclear Medicine including PET/CT, Nuclear Cardiology, radiopharmacy, and a pediatric observational rotation, all under supervision of licensed technologists. Student broadens knowledge and practice beyond general Nuclear Medicine. Focuses are on professional demeanor, independent practice, and preparation to become an entry-level technologist.

Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the program.

Course Outcomes
Radiopharmacy Outcomes:
Elute a Mo-99/Tc-99m generator and perform quality control testing
Prepare radiopharmaceuticals and perform quality control procedures on these preparations.Draw up radiopharmaceutical doses.
Pediatric Specialty Rotation Outcomes:
Discuss the use of nuclear medicine procedures in children, including the radiopharmaceutical dosages used for children, the types of studies commonly done, and the indications and results of those studies.
List ways in which children may be restrained or sedated and precautions that must be taken when sedation is performed.
Describe appropriate ways to communicate with pediatric patients and their parents or family members about aspects of nuclear medicine exams, therapies, and related information.
Demonstrate pediatric patient care techniques as they pertain to working with patients in a pediatric nuclear medicine department.
PET/CT Rotation Outcomes:
Discuss the physical and biochemical processes involved in PET studies, and clinical applications of PET imaging.
State correct patient preparation for an FDG study of the body and the brain.
Perform F-18 FDG studies and other PET studies as are available at each site.
List quality control procedures for PET instruments, including the type and frequency of each test and the indications that the scanner is not performing correctly.
Discuss the potential for artifacts and conflicts when combining PET and CT.
Nuclear Cardiology Rotation Outcomes:
Perform, process, and analyze myocardial perfusion studies to the standards of the nuclear cardiology site.
Perform and analyze a 12-lead ECG.
Identify abnormal cardiac rhythms and their morbidity.
Operate a treadmill tower.
Provide patient care and monitoring during exercise and pharmacologic stress testing.
Brain Scan Elective Outcomes:
Describe the protocols and uses of brain scanning for determination of cerebral ischemia (with and without pharmacologic stress), epilepsy, and brain death.
Discuss the indications, performance, and results for cisternography, CSF leak studies, and shunt studies.
Swedish Cancer Institute Elective Outcomes:
Describe the acquisition of a contrast-enhanced CT scan, including patient preparation, contrast administration, CT acquisition parameters and timing, and CT image processing and display.
Discuss cases seen, particularly addressing the benefit of PET and PET/CT for several cases.
State the daily quality control procedures conducted on the PET/CT scanner.
Read Room Elective Outcomes:
With the assistance of a nuclear medicine physician, analyze nuclear medicine studies.
Summarize learnings from this experience in regard to:
a. Performance of specific nuclear medicine studies.
b. Interpretation of nuclear medicine studies.
c. Effects of technologist actions on read room activities.
d. Identifying appropriate additional imaging and lab tests for specific situations.
Swedish Therapy/Hot Lab Elective Outcomes:
Participate in therapy room preparation and cleaning, dose preparation and administration, and imaging for radionuclide therapy, as the schedule allows.
Perform hot lab responsibilities in conjunction with staff nuclear medicine technologists, to include participation in thyroid procedures and lab techniques as they come up.
Prepare a case report on a thyroid cancer patient. Review the patient’s history, including surgery, histological cancer type, prior treatments, evidence of metastases, results of current whole-body scan.

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