Sim Hoffman - Becoming a Nuclear Medicine Technician

Nuclear medicine technologists like Sim Hoffman of Buena Park, California, are highly specialized healthcare professionals. They prepare and administer radiopharmaceuticals and other medications to their patients. These medications, along with specialized equipment, help them monitor the functions and characteristics of tissues and organs. The field of Nuclear Medicine technology requires specialized training to gain certification before becoming a nuclear medicine technician.

For those interested in becoming a technician in nuclear medicine, it is important to enroll in a program that has been accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology. Both Associate and Bachelor programs in Nuclear Medicine technology will provide you with the experience and training needed to enter into this field. During your course of study, you can expect to take classes in tomographic imaging, radiopharmaceuticals, radiation physics and human anatomy.

Once you have complete your classes, you will have to take two national certification exams, and pass at least one. Obtaining both credentials from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists and the Nuclear Medicine Technologist Certification Board will help improve your employment prospects. While not all states require nuclear medicine technicians to be licensed, the requirements for those that do will vary. It is important to check with your state to see what may be required for you.

Sim Hoffman, the Medical Director for the Advanced Professional Imaging Medical Group, has been a certified specialist in Nuclear Medicine since 1984 after completing his fellowship in Nuclear Medicine at the USC Medical Center in Los Angeles.
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Sim Hoffman - Preparing for a Radiological Arthrogram

When you begin experiencing joint pain, your doctor may send you to an experienced Radiologist like Sim Hoffman, to have an arthrogram performed. An arthrogram is a diagnostic test that examines the inside of your joint to find out what kind of injury you have, or to verify a symptom you may be experiencing. An outline of the soft tissue structures in the joint is obtained by injecting a contrast medium into the area. This makes them clearer to see on the pictures that are taken of the joint.

                                     

Moving images are transmitted onto a screen using fluoroscopy. This helps guide the placement of the needle that contains the contrast medium. This helps the affected area show up better on an MRI or CT scan. Usually, before an arthrogram is performed, you should already have had x-ray images made of the joint. You may also have images from an ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI that you need to provide your doctor. 

The arthrogram usually only takes about fifteen minutes to perform. However, it may be a short wait until you can have the MRI or CT scan performed. Once you are taken back for the scan, you can expect to be in the MRI machine for approximately thirty to forty-five minutes, and the CT machine for fifteen minutes. 

An experienced radiologist like Sim Hoffman will be responsible for injecting the contrast medium into the joint, as well as ensuring that the right scans are being performed after the injection. There also are the individuals who will analyze the scans and prepare a formal report based on the findings. 

Sim Hoffman on the Role of a Radiologist

When Sim Hoffman started out his impressive career, the role of a radiologist was still rather traditional in its nature. This meant – almost exclusively – the creation and interpretation of diagnostic images. This notion is rather obsolete now, as the role of today’s medical radio imaging experts, if anything, is ever-evolving. Radiologists are now expected to do more and be more, but that is not only a professional requirement but also a personal mission inspired by improving technology and the evolving roles that today’s medical professionals fill, which are also different compared to how they were even a couple of decades ago. 
Change Since the Mid 90’s
There have been marked changes in medicine in the last two decades. The technology and the funding for diagnostic tools have increased significantly. This changed the role of the radiologist as well.

Better Collaboration
The need to develop better working relationships with the ordering doctors (those who order certain imaging tests) has significantly increased as well. As a result, a radiologist today is required to survey other specialists to guarantee the standard of procedure expected of them.

Their Unique Role
As the number of outpatients increase, radiologists need to contribute more to their care, especially when it comes to developing and maintaining well-functioning working relationships with referring doctors. A hospital department that wants to function well involves radiologists at every phases of the decision making process.

As an expert radiologist himself, Sim Hoffman welcomes these new challenges that require more and more from him and his fellow radiologists.

Sources:
https://www.advisory.com/research/imaging-performance-partnership/studies/2012/the-changing-radiologist-role
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