Norman E. Bolus

The likelihood is that if you are reading this editorial, you are a member of SNMMI. However, I feel it is important as an advocate of our field to stress that everyone involved should promote membership in SNMMI. Pass or forward this journal to colleagues who may not be members and encourage them to sign up. Even current members may not realize some of the many benefits of belonging to SNMMI:

Publications

• Journal of Nuclear Medicine

• Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology (SNMMI-TS exclusive benefit)

• Uptake newsletter (SNMMI-TS exclusive benefit)

• SmartBrief e-mail newsletter

Continuing Education

• Manage your continuing education record

• Manage your VOICE credit

• Maintain your certification

• Participate in the VOICE program (SNMMI-TS exclusive benefit)

Career Assistance

• Scholarships and grants

• Career center

Advocacy

• Coding and reimbursement

• State Technologist Advocacy Group teams

Discounts and Special Offers

• Educational products

• Online exams

• Books

• Personal and professional savings

Special Interest Groups and Resources

• Special interest groups (councils)

• Membership directory

Beyond these member benefits, others are listed at http://www.snmmi.org/Membership/MemeberBenefit.aspx?ItemNumber=6570&navItemNumber=587.

Far better than one individual could, SNMMI as a collective body representing the whole membership is able to promote, defend, make statements for, and advocate for our field in leading efforts that benefit our profession. There are many examples of these efforts in the past, such as looking out for the profession with the ^99mTc shortage and ongoing efforts to promote a domestic source of ^99mTc. Other efforts concern Medicare changes, shortages of adjunctive medication, and the cost of macroaggregated albumin to name a few. The importance of belonging to SNMMI is that, in having as many members as possible, the professional society has more leverage and resources to benefit our field. I do not have the time to lobby and defend many ongoing issues myself, but by belonging to SNMMI, I have the leadership of the society doing this on my behalf. By belonging, each of us enables SNMMI to do one of its main functions: look at ways to protect our field and profession going forward. The more members our professional society has, the better it will be equipped to deal with issues facing our profession.

Norman E. Bolus, MSPH, MPH, CNMT, FSNMMI-TS

“Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
—Vince Lombardi

In this edition of the JNMT, we have all of the technologist abstracts for our annual meeting in St. Louis, as well as at least one original continuing education offering, several imaging and radiation safety articles, and several teaching case studies. I am still in need of writers for continuing education articles and would like to see more scientific articles submitted to the JNMT. Our teaching case study submissions have been and continue to be good. If you have an idea for a continuing education article or would like to submit a teaching case study, please go to http://submit-tech.snmjournals.org. For our online discussion this edition, please go to www.snm.org/facebook and add your comments on why everyone in our profession should be a member of SNMMI.