The Nuclear Medicine Technology Program is twelve months long and begins in early August each year. This "clinical year" may be used as the senior year toward a BS degree in nuclear medicine technology or the "specialized modality" year toward a BS degree in radiologic sciences both of which are awarded by the College of Medicine. Students may also be admitted into the program on a "certificate only" basis. Applicants seeking to use the NMT program to fulfill the advanced modality requirement of the radiologic sciences degree must at least meet the requirements identified for certificate-only admission listed below. The clinical year curriculum includes didactic course work and clinical rotations in the Nuclear Medicine Clinic at the UIHC. Class size is limited to no more than 10 students per year, and selection is competitive for those positions.
What are the admission criteria for the Nuclear Medicine Technology program?
Applicants to the baccalaureate program must have completed a minimum of 94 semester hours including complete introductory courses with laboratory in chemistry, physics, biology, at least intermediate algebra, and additional advanced science/math courses totaling 10 hours minimum. Courses in anatomy, physiology, statistics, and computer science are highly recommended. The applicant must also fulfill the College of Liberal Arts degree requirements in rhetoric, the humanities, historical perspectives, foreign language, social sciences (sociology and psychology are recommended), and distributed general education. The applicant must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 2.50 in order to qualify.
Applicants to the certificate program must have a bachelor's degree, or be registered/registry eligible in a related health care field such as medical technology, radiologic technology or nursing. Applicants with a bachelor's degree must have completed introductory courses with laboratory in chemistry, physics, biology, and at least intermediate algebra. Radiologic technologists must have completed college-level coursework in rhetoric (oral and written communications) and general chemistry or they can not be considered for admission.
The Admissions Committee considers all aspects of each applicant's record and offers admission to the best qualified individuals each year. Positive applicant attributes include maturity, knowledge of and motivation toward a career in nuclear medicine, previous patient-related experience, and an aptitude for academic achievement, particularly in the sciences. Promising applicants (typically the top 16 - 20 candidates) are invited for a personal interview with the members of the Admissions Committee sometime during the month of February. Applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, creed, or national origin. All applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit scores on the TOEFL as required by the University.
What means are used to document that students meet these criteria?
All applicants to the NMT program must submit a completed application form, ALL college, technical school, and high school transcripts (including ACT scores), TOEFL scores (if applicable), and 3 NMT program reference forms completed by individuals who are familiar with the applicant's personal, academic and/or employment history. Both the NMT program application and reference form can be downloaded from the NMT Program website. Further confirmation of applicant information is derived from an interview with the program's Admissions Committee. The deadline for all application materials is February 1st of each year. If the first of March falls on a weekend, the deadline will become the Monday immediately following that weekend. Candidates whose file is complete at that time will be considered for admission into the student class which starts in August of that year. Applicant files which are incomplete on the deadline date will not be considered. This is a very strict deadline and no extensions will be granted.
In addition to the baccalaureate program in nuclear medicine technology, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics offers an identical "certificate only" program for people who already have either a bachelor's degree in any major (with elective coursework in the appropriate sciences) or prior qualifications in a clinically related allied health profession (i.e., radiography, medical technology, nursing), with a minimum of two years education in an accredited educational program.
Prerequisites are determined on an individual basis, based on ACT scores, high school science/math grades, time since high school, science/math courses or allied health education, allied health program grades, and the applicant's self-assessment.
Radiographers do have some distinct advantages because of their clinical training, but often lack the required background in chemistry and oral/written communications. Applicants MUST have completed college level courses in these subjects to be considered for admission. Postsecondary education in mathematics is also highly recommended.
Non-science baccalaureates must have completed introductory college science courses, including laboratory, in chemistry, biology and physics, as well as an intermediate algebra course (or higher level mathematics) to be considered. We would be glad to discuss your individual situation and advise you accordingly.
The University's English proficiency requirement assures that non-native speakers know English well enough to study without being hindered by language problems, to understand lectures, and to participate successfully in class discussions.
A minimum TOEFL score of 530 is required to be considered for admission to the University of Iowa (as outlined in the college catalog). Due to the technical nature of the subject matter covered in the Nuclear Medicine curriculum and the fact that clinical rotations require the student to be able to converse effectively with patients and hospital staff, TOEFL scores closer to 600 will typically be needed to be considered for admission into the program.
Students interested in the Nuclear Medicine Technology program are encouraged to contact the program director for additional information.
Tony Knight, MBA, CNMT