Salem State College Nuclear Medicine Technology Program graduate, Mindy Muszynski, CNMT, an employee at NSMC/Salem Hospital's Nuclear Medicine Dept., prepares for her next patient. At left is Anthony L. Mazzola, RT, ASCP, Manager of Nuclear Medicine, who oversees the clinical education component of the program which he initiated with Salem State College 15 years ago. Between them is the MilleniumVG dual-headed gamma camera.

Shore Medical Center (NSMC)/Salem Hospital will help fund Salem State College's nuclear medical technician program over the next five years, thus helping to ensure the program's continuity. In addition, NSMC will provide recruitment support to the College to encourage undergraduate biology students to consider careers in nuclear medicine.

Salem State and NSMC/Salem Hospital have maintained a strong clinical education relationship for many years, emanating from the College's nursing school. To encourage more students to enroll in and complete the nuclear medicine technology (NMT) concentration at Salem State, the hospital acts as the program's primary clinical affiliate.

According to Susan Case, chairperson of the Biology Department at Salem State College, the key to attracting more students to nuclear medicine is visibility. "Both the college and Salem Hospital are working to bring more awareness to this profession," Case said. "A career in medical technology can be very rewarding."

The current nursing shortage continues to make headlines while students have several choices among health care careers.

Nuclear medical technicians perform diagnostic tests on patients using radioactive materials to detect cancer, anemias, and blood clots, and to perform cardiac studies. They also administer treatment for such illnesses as thyroid cancer and hyperthyroidism. The technicians perform the patient physical, set up the instruments and cameras, inject the patients and perform data manipulation using sophisticated computers.

With an estimated 65 job openings currently in the New England market, new graduates have excellent prospects for immediate employment. "We constantly get calls from hospitals all around the country," Case said. Starting salaries are in the mid- to high-$40,000 range, and seasoned technicians' salaries often reach the low 60s. "Thanks to a targeted recruitment effort by Salem Hospital staff, enrollment in the NMT concentration has increased this year," said Case. "But, our standards are high, so, even with increased awareness and aggressive recruitment, students still have to qualify."

To be accepted to the clinical portion of the program, students must complete at least half of their science and mathematics courses at Salem State College and maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.75 in those courses. Successful completion of this program leads to a degree in biology. Salem State students who complete the program score in the top five percent of the national board exam.

"It's a double incentive for the students," said Anthony L. Mazzola, RT, ASCP, NSMC/Salem Hospital's manager of nuclear medicine who initiated the partnership with Salem State 15 years ago. "Students who enter this program at Salem State get some of the best on-the-job training possible," he said. "And their skills will be in high demand, not just here, but throughout the country." Mazzola is proud to add that graduates of the Salem State program can be found working not only at NSMC but also in Boston's major teaching hospitals, and hospitals and pharmaceutical companies throughout the country.

Persons interested in the nuclear medical technologist program at Salem State College should call the College's Biology Department or go to www.salemstate.edu.

North Shore Medical Center is a multi-site health system headquartered in Salem which includes NSMC/Salem Hospital, NSMC/Union Hospital in Lynn, NSMC/Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital, NSMC/North Shore Children's Hospital and the physician network known as Charter Professional Services Corporation. NSMC is a member of Partners HealthCare, which was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital. For more information, visit www.nsmc.partners.org.