The Future Is Now

Brenda King, CNMT, FSNMTS

The immediate weeks following the excitement of the 2012 annual meeting in Miami Beach have been deceptively quiet. The staff has taken much-needed vacations to gear up for the frenzy of another leadership year for the SNMMI and SNMMI-TS.

Our name change and rebranding affirms the Society’s desire to embrace imaging down to its molecular level. By now you should have noticed this rebranding. The new logos have been put in place, and the Web site address is now www.snmmi.org. The updates will be an ongoing process and may take several months to complete.

Dr. Frederic Fahey and I stand as the first presidents of the SNMMI and SNMMI-TS, respectively. The task falls on us to lead the charge in the direction that the Society will embark on over the next few months and beyond. However, leading the charge means that we must know where we are going and what the best direction is for the Society and its members. We can no longer continue performing as we always have. It is time to think and act outside the box!

Over the past year, I have asked for your ideas and suggestions; I will continue to encourage your input during my leadership year. I want to hear your comments, suggestions—and yes, even your complaints, although I would also like you to share possible solutions when you contact me. Working together, we can make the Technologist Section even stronger.

Acting outside the box must be the focus not only for the Society but also for individual imaging professionals. The Society continues to forge relationships and partnerships with other professional societies, which will be key as we explore new career pathways for the nuclear imaging technologist. This year the SNMMI and SNMMI-TS leadership will be driving global outreach and seeking collaboration with our counterparts in other countries. Why global outreach? The Society and its membership continue to face challenges associated with a sluggish economy and job insecurity. The United States imaging market has already experienced an influx of imaging professionals from other countries. Are we prepared to step into the international arena? Do we have the credentials to compete in the global marketplace? Currently, we are working to establish the first International Council of Representatives, or ICOR, a forum of imaging professionals. We anticipate that this group will meet at the SNMMI 2013 annual meeting.

In the past, a historic challenge was made to the American people by an incoming president who demanded, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” As your president, I also will cast that same challenge to you as an imaging professional: Ask not what your society can do for you; ask what you can do for your society and your own professional growth. Are you working in a facility where all your coworkers are members of SNMMI-TS? If not, what are you doing to encourage them to join? Are you working in a state where licensure or certification is not required? If not, what are you doing about it? Are you willing to become a representative of your State TAG to pursue appropriate qualification of imaging professionals? What are you doing to support the passage of the CARE Bill? Has your state representative cosponsored the Senate or House bill?

On a personal level, are you preparing for dual certification? PET/CT and SPECT/CT are almost the norm in today’s practice. PET/MRI is gearing up for an explosion of installations across the country. Hybrid imaging will demand that its operators be dual-certified. As imaging professionals, we must reach beyond the limits of our comfort zone. The future waits for no one to catch up—and the future is now.

Welcome to the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Technologist Section! Your future awaits you!