Validation, Quality, Education, Advocacy, and Outreach: SNMMI-TS Goals

Kathleen M. Krisak, BS, CNMT, FSNMMI-TS

I am so honored to serve as president of SNMMI-TS, and I am excited to work with President-Elect Norman Bolus, MSPH, MPH, CNMT, FSNMMI-TS, the technologist executive board, the National Council of Representatives, and SNMMI-TS members and staff to advance the profession, as well as the value of SNMMI-TS membership.

At the SNMMI 2017 Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, the SNMMI-TS executive board engaged in a mega-issue discussion of how to validate nuclear medicine technology as a “true” profession. This discussion resulted in a resolution approved by the SNMMI board of directors stating, “…for technologists, the baccalaureate degree is the professional level of medical imaging and radioisotope therapy education if it contains related upper-division coursework.”

The SNMMI-TS recognizes that nuclear medicine technologists have varying educational backgrounds and believes that the professional level of education should be a baccalaureate degree if it contains upper-division coursework in medical imaging and radioisotope therapy.

Revisions to the Nuclear Medicine Technologist Scope of Practice and Standards to include MRI were also approved at the annual meeting. The main change in the document included the addition of the following language: “A certified nuclear medicine technologist is qualified to perform PET/MR with training and education in MR.”

The SNMMI leadership accomplished a great deal in Denver. The results of the SNMMI-TS quality survey and the quality committee’s 5-year plan were presented at the NCOR and Board meetings. McKinley advisors worked closely with the SNMMI-TS quality committee to developed the quality survey that was sent to nearly 28,000 technologists in August 2016. These efforts garnered a 14.3% response rate. Patient satisfaction, image quality, and equipment quality were the top concerns of respondents.

The SNMMI-TS quality committee’s 5-year strategy plan will focus on the following goals:

• Identify avenues of collaboration among stakeholders.

• Explore funding options for ongoing and future initiatives.

• Develop new educational materials related to quality.

• Develop an awareness campaign that puts the focus on the patient, not just the protocol.

• Demonstrate quality as it relates to the continuum of care.

The CT+ Review and Essentials course is now available! It provides all the information needed for the ARRT (CT) and NMTCB (CT) exams. This 18-module course will focus on contrast administration, cross-sectional anatomy, physics and instrumentation, radiation safety, dosimetry, and more! Plus, at the conclusion of the course, you will have the opportunity to complete a mock exam.

At the state level, I’m pleased to report that the technologist advocacy group is going full-steam ahead with passionate representatives across the country working for appropriate licensure laws and regulations and to stop encroachment on the practice of nuclear medicine technology. The SNMMI-TS scope-of-practice committee is also gearing up, and the Society has new staff to support these efforts.

At the fall board meeting, the SNMMI-TS will begin developing a new strategic plan, using discussions from the mid-winter meeting and the annual meeting as a starting point. Much of the work this past year, under the leadership of Sara Johnson, MBA, CNMT, NCT, FSNMMI-TS, has laid the groundwork for charting our course forward. I am excited to work alongside SNMMI as the Society begins implementation of its new strategic plan in concert with the launch of the value initiative. SNMMI-TS will be working collaboratively with SNMMI to demonstrate the invaluable role of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging in providing tailored, precise diagnostic and therapeutic care to patients.

In the year ahead, we will be looking at the unique qualities of nuclear medicine technologists and focusing on what makes us a crucial part of the medical team. We will be rolling out new member benefits and educational opportunities designed specifically for what our members need. They will cover knowledge and skills for career advancement, professional development, and maintaining certification and licensure. In addition, new tools for nuclear medicine technologists in the clinic setting will include quick-reference guides, checklists, fact sheets, and clinical vignettes.

We will be focused on the immediate needs of our member technologists and will be working to provide outreach to nonmember technologists on the importance of belonging to their professional organization. Without the support of a professional organization, there would be no one fighting for the profession. It is my passionate belief that a strong SNMMI-TS (and SNMMI) ensures a strong profession.

Going forward, we must better communicate the benefits of SNMMI-TS membership and emphasize the need for collaboration among all disciplines within the medical imaging community to advance the profession. This effort will require all of us to work as a team. So, to everyone who will be volunteering time and expertise, to the SNMMI-TS members who work so hard every day, and to the SNMMI staff, I say a heartfelt thank-you! Together, we can strengthen our profession and make our patients’ experience even better.