An allied health professional for whom the American Medical Association’s Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation (CAHEA) has accredited education programs.
A term applied to chemical elements which give off (or are capable of giving off) particles of radiant energy, such as alpha, beta, and gamma rays. Some chemical elements, such as plutonium, radium, and uranium, are radioactive as they are found in nature, while others can be made radioactive by special physical processes. Both natural and “artificial’ radioactive chemical elements are used in nuclear medicine.
A technologist who assists specialists in nuclear medicine in the proper and safe use of radiation for patient diagnosis and treatment. The roles of the radiation therapy technologist include the operation of radiation detection equipment, the administration of radiopharmaceuticals, and the recognition and early treatment of radiation-related emergencies, among others.