Consistency of Self-Study Reviews Conducted by Directors of the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs on Nuclear Medicine Technology

Abstract

A correlational study was conducted to determine if there was agreement among the directors of the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology (JRCNMT), when they independently reviewed the same two self-studies. There was no significant interrater reliability (p > 0.05) among the reviewers on one self-study, while review of the second self-study demonstrated statistical significance (r = 0.68, p < 0.02). There were no significant correlations between the directors’ demographic data and the directors’ reviews on one self-study; but on the other self-study, there were significant correlations between the directors’ reviews and the number of years of their active service to a professional organization (r = 0.74, p < 0.01), and the number of years they had been practicing nuclear medicine or nuclear medicine technology (r = 0.69, p < 0.02). There is preliminary evidence that the NMT program’s degree of compliance with the Essentials determines the consistency of review, and that the reviewer’s number of years of active service to a professional organization and the number of years spent practicing nuclear medicine or nuclear medicine technology correlate with the consistency of self-study reviews.