Abstract
Objective: Since their inception in 1970, educationally accredited programs in nuclear medicine have been greatly diversified. These programs have been accredited by the Joint Review Committee for over 20 yr in a variety of educational settings including hospital-based programs, community colleges, technical colleges, universities and 4-yr colleges. Equally diverse has been the variation in student class size ranging from a few students to over 60 students in a single program. This article evaluates changes in accredited nuclear medicine programs over an 11-yr period.
Methods: This research compares accredited programs in 1982 to programs in 1993.
Results: The data suggest that the primary educational setting has substantially changed from hospital-based to community college and university settings.
Conclusions: From 1982 to 1993, an overall decrease in the total number of accredited nuclear medicine programs, a significant reduction in very small programs (less than five students) and a consolidation of larger programs has occurred.