The presumed shortage has also been disputed by the Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes July 5, 2018, report, noted the authors.

“It is absurd and grotesque to assume that this expertise can be acquired in 80 (2 weeks) or even 700 hours (4 months),” they argued. “This expert-level competency requires years of solid training. Would anyone send a family member to any treatment delivered by someone who had 2 weeks of training? Limited AU licenses would be akin to providing privileges to non-oncologists to administer cytotoxic chemotherapies or immunotherapies after a 2-week course or to a non-surgeon to perform complex laparoscopic surgery after 4 months of surgery training.”


The editorial does not represent the official position of the SNMMI.

In its July, 2018, comments on training, it stated, “The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), together with representatives from the American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM) and American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), formed an ad hoc committee to offer their collective recommendations for potential updates to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s requirements for those who wish to be authorized users of unsealed byproduct material.

“The group identified the basic and clinical knowledge and skills needed by individuals seeking authorized user status through the “alternate pathway” (those not board-certified in nuclear medicine radiation oncology and related fields). As previously reported, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is evaluating the current training and experience requirements because some stakeholders claim the current requirement of 700 hours of training and experience is excessive.”

Back to HCB News

Molecular Imaging Homepage