The integral formation of the university technologists in nuclear medicine

Full text: Nuclear medicine has contributed to notable benefits to the human health from the very beginning. The Radioisotopes techniques, as well as the ionizing radiation used, have evolved providing functional and anatomical information of the patient, through non-invasive methods. With reference to Radiological Protection, the justification of each one of these practices and its perfect execution is intimately related to the benefit provided to the patients. The National Atomic Energy Commission apart from favouring the scientific and technological development, considers indispensable to work thoroughly on the professional training of the prospective technologists. Our over twenty-year experience in organizing and delivering courses of Technologists in Nuclear Medicine, although based on a much simpler program, have allowed the Institute of Nuclear Studies of the Ezeiza Atomic Center to acquire the capacity of developing a program to train highly qualified Technologists in that field. This project represents a step forward of great importance to the graduates qualification, since they will have the endorsement of CNEA and of the Faculty of Medicine of the Maimonides University. These are the three outstanding characteristics agreed on: 1.- General Education, carried out by subjects closely related to the optimisation of the relation Technologist - Patient - Environment and represented by: Radiological Protection and Hospital Security, Psychology, Ethics and Professional Medical Ethics, Nursing, English, Hygiene and Hospital Security and Management of the Quality in Services of Health. 2.- Diagnostic Procedures: planned according to organs, apparatuses or systems which are horizontally crossed by the anatomy, physiology and physiopathology Preparation of the patient, indications, main counter indications, radiopharmaceuticals, mechanisms of incorporation, pathologies, clinical protocols, instrumentation, post radiopharmaceuticals administration imaging procedures. Result prosecution, interpretation and presentation will allow them to acquire what follows: 3.- Clinical Internship in Radiopharmacy and Nuclear Medicine : Graduates will be prepared to work closely and efficiently with doctors majored in that field. (author)