Examining the nuclear medicine advanced associate: Past, present, and future-a white paper presented by members of the graduate stakeholders committee of the SNMMI Technologist Section

In July 2013, the president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Technologist Section put together a task force to examine the current graduate-level program for Nuclear Medicine Advanced Associate (NMAA) as a mid-level practitioner and determine whether that type of graduate education served all parties involved in nuclear medicine technology. The task force consisted of a variety of stakeholders in the profession, including practicing technologists, NMAAs, research technologists, educators, corporate representatives, and physicians. They determined that there are a variety of graduate-level programs for nuclear medicine technologists, including a master of business administration or master of health administration, as well as the NMAA field, but a lack of programs for technologists interested in a career in clinical research related to nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. In December 2013, the task force recommended that the executive board of the SNMMI support graduate-level education focused on nuclear medicine and molecular imaging at both the NMAA level and the clinical research level. This white paper focuses only on the NMAA and examines the history and current state of the NMAA but also the needed changes for the future success of this profession.