Nuclear Medicine Technologists
Prepare, administer, and measure radioactive isotopes in therapeutic, diagnostic, and tracer studies using a variety of radioisotope equipment. Prepare stock solutions of radioactive materials and calculate doses to be administered by radiologists. Subject patients to radiation. Execute blood volume, red cell survival, and fat absorption studies following standard laboratory techniques.
17,080 people do this job in the US. $101,370 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 29%
- 0%
- 71%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 27%. Today's estimate: 28%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 17 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detect and map radiopharmaceuticals in patients' bodies, using a camera to produce photographic or computer images.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 14% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain and calibrate radioisotope and laboratory equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Process cardiac function studies, using computer.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 8% | 38 min25 min to 1.1 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Produce a computer-generated or film image for interpretation by a physician.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Administer radiopharmaceuticals or radiation intravenously to detect or treat diseases, using radioisotope equipment, under direction of a physician.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 21 min13 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Record and process results of procedures.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 7% | 21 min13 min to 33 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Dispose of radioactive materials and store radiopharmaceuticals, following radiation safety procedures.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Prepare stock radiopharmaceuticals, adhering to safety standards that minimize radiation exposure to workers and patients.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Explain test procedures and safety precautions to patients and provide them with assistance during test procedures.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Calculate, measure, and record radiation dosage or radiopharmaceuticals received, used, and disposed, using computer and following physician's prescription.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 17 min8 min to 29 min | Stays with people | |
| Train or supervise student or subordinate nuclear medicine technologists.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Gather information on patients' illnesses and medical history to guide the choice of diagnostic procedures for therapy.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 21 min8 min to 33 min | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians18% now, 18% by 2028
- Radiologic Technologists and Technicians27% now, 34% by 2028
- Radiation Therapists27% now, 29% by 2028
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists17% now, 36% by 2028
- Radiologists43% now, 67% by 2028
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists61% now, 62% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).