NMTCB REPORT

DANNY BASSO, CNMT, NCT, FSNMTS, CHAIR

As I take the reins as chair of the Nuclear Medicine Technologist Certification Board (NMTCB), the first thing I must do is congratulate Lynn Fulk on the success of her leadership over the past two years. During her time as chair-elect and then chair, NMTCB created a continuing education (CE) policy and an ethics policy, as well as the genesis of a certification exam for the newly created professional designation of nuclear medicine practitioner (NMP). Lynn also oversaw the purchase and remodeling of NMTCB's building. This is the first building the board has ever owned.

Over the next year, a majority of my, the board's, and the staff's time will be spent implementing the new CE and ethics policies. Hopefully, this will be as painless as possible for all involved, including the certificants. As a reminder, technologists certified in odd-numbered years will need to have 12 CE units (CEU) by the end of this year (12/31/06) in order to renew their certification. Technologists certified in even years will need 24 CEUs by 12/31/07. We will continue work on the NMP exam along with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), which will certify NMPs, with a goal of completing the exam by the time students begin graduating from the academic programs. It is a lofty goal with a lot of work still ahead, but both organizations are committed to meeting this deadline.

The nuclear medicine technologist profession continues to expand and grow. Molecular imaging procedures are being combined with other modalities faster than our profession can keep up with training and credentialing. I have had the pleasure of representing first the SNMTS and then the NMTCB at the Alliance for Quality Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy over the last several years. This meeting brings together many of the societies and credentialing boards involved in medical imaging and radiation therapy to discuss the minimum professional requirements for performing these medical procedures. It is nice to know that we are not alone in dealing with these types of professional changes and challenges. Almost all of these professions are experiencing growing pains similar to those seen in nuclear medicine technology. Meeting with these professional organizations to create training and credentialing pathways for all healthcare professionals will be an increasingly important part of providing the best possible patient care. As chair of the NMTCB, I look forward to and welcome these conversations.

Another of the duties of the chair is to say goodbye to board members who have completed their term of service. It is with great sadness that we once again say goodbye to Anthony Knight. Tony briefly left the board after he completed his second term (8 years total) only to be called back into service to finish out a term someone else could not complete. But it is time to say goodbye again. There are no words to describe what Tony has meant to the board. He has been a leader, mentor, teacher, worthy opponent in discussions, peacemaker, sounding board, and, most important, a friend. Tony will be impossible to replace and his departure from the board would be devastating if not for his ability as an educator to pass on his knowledge to those of us who remain.

In other news, this fall was the third administration of the positron emission technologist (PET) exam, and the sixth administration of the nuclear cardiology technologist (NCT) exam. As with the entry-level exam, it is important that these exams remain current. The NMTCB does this by performing task analysis surveys. For the entry-level exam, a minor survey is performed every two years, and a major survey is performed every sixth year. In order to keep the specialty exams current, the NMTCB will survey NCTs and PETs on what they feel should be included on the tests. Strictly speaking, this will not be a task analysis survey; it might be better described as a knowledge survey: what should a technologist know in order to become certified in this specialty? The first NCT survey was mailed this fall. It is critical that all NCTs complete this survey to help us make this test the best it can be. The content outline will be adjusted based on the survey results.

These exams don't write themselves. I would like to personally thank all of the technologists that submitted items (questions) for the entry-level, NCT, and PET exams. Truly, we could not do it without you. I would also encourage everyone to submit items for the exams. It is an easy way to give back to your profession.

The year 2007 brings many challenges to the NMTCB. The board and I look forward to working with you and with the SNMTS leadership, as well as other healthcare professionals, to meet these challenges head on.