A Look Back; A Look Forward

A Message from the 2010–2011 SNMTS President, Kathy Hunt

The 2011 SNM annual meeting will mark the end of my tenure as SNMTS president. During the past year I was fortunate to work with dedicated leaders and volunteers of SNM and SNMTS who are such a great part of our society. This year marks the second year of the SNMTS strategic plan, and the goals of my presidency included initiatives in advocacy, education, and membership. I want to thank my committee chairs and their members for their work in moving the SNMTS forward in its mission to provide education, advocate for the profession, and support research to achieve clinical excellence and optimal patient outcomes.

One of my educational initiatives was to broaden and enhance the educational opportunities made available to our current nuclear medicine technologist workforce. We have provided our members with opportunities to continue their education with new online courses—2 well-attended webinars and a CT review series—and the publication of 5 new technologist books. This, of course, is in addition to increasing the continuing education sessions available to technologists at SNM's mid-winter and annual meetings and providing, for the first time ever, the virtual SNM annual meeting.

We didn't stop with our current members though; we also looked toward the needs of our future nuclear and molecular imaging technologists by promoting baccalaureate transition models for associate and certificate programs. The SNMTS transition task force worked with 3 nuclear medicine technology educational programs to assist them in moving to baccalaureate degree programs. While there certainly were a few bumps along the way, we are happy to have successfully completed these transitions and have selected 3 additional programs to work with this year. An online resource manual is also available on the SNM Web site in order to assist programs in the transition process. For technologists looking to take their careers even further, SNMTS, under the guidance of the advanced associate council, is also promoting the Nuclear Medicine Advanced Associate program, which will graduate its first 4 students this year.

As hybrid imaging continues to increase and government regulations become more complex, advocacy efforts become increasingly important. My primary initiatives under the advocacy goal were to develop a mechanism to update our scope of practice to include current supporting documentation and to assist states with practice and licensure issues. The SNMTS scope of practice has been revised and submitted for approval to the SNM board of directors. A new task force that has been formed under the advocacy committee has been charged with monitoring and updating the scope of practice on a regular basis. SNMTS continues to be a member of the medical imaging alliance supporting the CARE Bill (Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility, and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Act). This bill was designed to establish minimum certification standards for imaging technologists and radiation therapists. The CARE Bill has not been up for a vote in the Senate or House even after many years of lobbying. In recognition of the importance of advocacy initiatives, SNM and SNMTS hired a new lobbying firm and a director of health policy and regulatory affairs. Under their direction, we stepped up our efforts to get the CARE Bill revised and introduced into the current Congress.

This year we have also worked to strengthen the relationship between SNMTS and the grassroots organizations. In addition to promoting national legislation, SNMTS also developed the state technologist advocates group (TAG). This group will be responsible for communicating issues that affect the practice of nuclear medicine technologists to the SNMTS advocacy committee and leadership. The TAG team will also establish or monitor practice regulations or state licensure as needed for nuclear medicine technologists to practice in their state—including hybrid imaging.

The leadership of SNMTS also made an effort this year to connect with technologists across the country. The leadership team and I attended both chapter and grassroots meetings. A presentation was developed to inform members about this year's SNMTS goals and initiatives, letting members know what their professional organization was doing for them while gathering ideas about the needs of the membership and how we can best meet them. To gain even more information about the needs of our technologists, SNMTS also created a research committee, which developed and administered surveys on a variety of topics such as the workforce, mentoring, the SNM mid-winter meeting, and a task analysis of job responsibilities. With the use of these surveys, SNMTS is more able to make informed decisions and adapt its goals and offerings to reflect the needs of its members.

SNMTS members are truly what drive the organization. I encourage each and every member to get involved—whether you provide us feedback about our programs, send a letter to your congressman, or serve on an SNMTS committee. Getting involved with SNMTS was one of the best decisions I made in my professional career. I have learned so much from each of you and now have the privilege of calling many of you friends. It has been an honor to serve as the SNMTS president over the past year and to have had the opportunity to make a difference in our field. I look forward to remaining active within the society and continue working with my friend and colleague Ann Marie Alessi, BS, CNMT, NCT, RT(N).With that, I'd like to welcome Ann Marie as the 2011–2012 SNMTS president.

A Message from the 2011–2012 SNMTS President, Ann Marie Alessi

As I prepare to begin my term as SNMTS president, I must first express my gratitude to Kathy Hunt, MS, CNMT, for her guidance and superior leadership over the past year. It's been an honor to work with her and learn from her as she worked tirelessly to advance the field of nuclear and molecular imaging for technologists. Following Kathy's lead, I am eager to begin working for you as your SNMTS president.

In today's economic environment, we know there is a technologist surplus and finding a job can be difficult. In the coming months we will introduce the new SNM Job Bank, available exclusively to SNM members. As part of the new program, SNM will be joining the National Healthcare Career Network, the fastest-growing health-care association job board network available. This network will provide an extensive resource for our members to find opportunities in nuclear medicine as soon as they are released.

Professional development will also continue for technologists in the coming year. The fifth annual SNMTS Leadership Academy will be held in conjunction with the mid-winter meeting in Orlando, Florida, in January 2012. The academy has become a staple among SNMTS activities to prepare the future leaders of our profession.

We will continue our efforts to provide the most up-to-date, relevant continuing education available for technologists—including courses on hybrid imaging with CT and MRI.

Often, technologists are not afforded the time and money to travel to larger continuing education meetings. With the help of funding from our corporate sponsors, one of my goals is for SNMTS to host a nationwide road show to reach technologists who may not be able to travel to chapter or national meetings.

This past year, the SNMTS leadership team made it a priority to attend grassroots and chapter meetings across the country. I plan to continue this outreach and look forward to working with all of you, because your input provides valuable direction for the organization. Please don't hesitate to stop and have a chat with me!

SNM is completing its 5-year campaign to embrace all molecular imaging modalities, and during this campaign, we have incorporated nonnuclear molecular imaging technologies into our scientific and educational programs and our publications. SNM and SNMTS stand prepared to lead the way in translating novel molecular imaging and therapeutic strategies for the new era of molecular and personalized medicine.

We are asking the membership to consider a new name, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, which we feel best represents from where we have come, who we are, and where our future lies. This opens our arms to new possibilities and to professionals whose primary focus is nonnuclear molecular imaging.

A new name requires a change in SNM bylaws and needs to be carefully considered by all within SNM, but most importantly, by the membership at large. In the months ahead, we will be soliciting your opinions in a more formal manner. You can also contact leadership of the SNMTS executive board and SNMTS national council of representatives by sending an e-mail to feedback{at}snm.org. We want to hear from you!

Thank you for allowing both Kathy and me to serve you over the past year. Here's to looking forward to an exciting year ahead!