Lead Nuclear Medicine Technologist – New Haven, CT
Overview:
Nuclear medicine technologists support researchers in performing nuclear medicine imaging for diagnostic, research, or treatment purposes. Under the supervision of the Principal Investigator and Head of the Clinic Department, nuclear medicine technologist performs a variety of technical and professional duties utilizing imaging equipment to produce quality images as requested to support clinical trials. They operate within the scope of their training, certification, and licensure in a research setting.
Nuclear medicine technologists prepare radiopharmaceuticals and administer them to patients for image collection. They provide technical support to researchers who investigate uses of radioactive drugs. The nuclear medicine technologist is qualified to operate diagnostic imaging equipment. The nuclear medicine technologists are expected to work independently in problem solving and troubleshooting, and function as super users of the camera systems.
The Lead Nuclear Medicine Technologist reports to the Head of the Clinic and participates in the daily operations of the Clinic/Imaging Suite, supervises the nuclear medicine technologists, and participates in management and oversight of departmental imaging SOPs. The lead nuclear medicine technologist will have autonomy to make imaging departmental and technical decisions and to better comply with regulations and accrediting organizations.
Essential Functions:
- Performs duties in a safe and timely manner as needed to ensure the goals of the department are met.
- Ability to perform PET, PET/CT, SPECT, and SPECT/CT imaging and related tasks including subject and equipment preparation.
- Follows study documentation and standard operating procedures to perform scans and other procedures correctly.
- Skilled in performing quality control (QC) procedures on imaging equipment with the ability to identify equipment malfunction during QC and imaging procedures to assure the safe and appropriate use of imaging equipment and radiopharmaceuticals for research and studies; maintains active quality control information.
- Monitors radiation work areas (wipe testing, weekly surveys) and other areas, as needed.
- Ability to fix problems or notify the appropriate individual(s) for repair and maintain associated records.
- Practices safe handling of radiopharmaceuticals according to federal and departmental regulations. Ability to follow ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) guidelines to limit dose exposures to self and others, including use of syringe shields and lead carrying cases, as evidenced by observation and monthly dosimeter badge reports.
- Is responsible for ordering isotopes and keeping detailed records.
- Performs receipt, preparation, administration of radiopharmaceuticals to ensure safety and integrity of the tracer.
- Explains imaging procedures and safety precautions to subjects and study partners of different educational backgrounds, culture, and cognitive abilities; able to answer questions effectively.
- Empathic, patient, and able to assist anxious or cognitively compromised patients during what can be a disorienting or stressful procedure.
- Performs venipuncture to provide access for the administration of radiopharmaceuticals, and fluids or the removal of blood for metabolite, survival, or recovery (of the radiopharmaceutical) analysis.
- Administer radiopharmaceuticals intravenously under the direction of the nuclear medicine physician or authorized user.
- Calculates, measures, and accurately records radiation dosage of radiopharmaceuticals received, used, and disposed of under the direction of the nuclear medicine physician.
- Dispose of radioactive materials and store radiopharmaceuticals following all NRC requirements and Invicro's SOP’s.
- Performs clinical activities including, but not limited to vital sign measurement, ECG acquisition, and venous sampling as required.
- Reconstruct image data for subsequent quantitative analyses applying appropriate corrections for attenuation, randoms, scatters, motion, etc. per direction of the nuclear medicine physician or physicist.
- Performs transfer and back-up of imaging data.
- Provides images for data analysis and patient information for diagnostic interpretation when required.
- Evaluate images to determine the technical quality and calibration of instrumentation.
- Performs appropriate quality controls on imaging equipment and maintains active quality control information.
- Abides by Good Clinical Practices (GCP)
- Ability to work collaboratively with other members of the clinical research team.
- Maintains stock levels, monitors utilization of supplies, and ensures ready availability of depleting supplies; notifies clinic administrators and the head of the department for timely procurement of supplies and identifies risks.
Lead Role Expectations:
- Participates in creating and maintaining departmental imaging SOPs/WIDs and policies to enhance overall throughput of scans.
- Identifies, plans, and develops new processes and procedures for the nuclear medicine technologist team.
- Assesses and makes recommendations regarding staff development and staffing levels.
- Maintains a supervisory role in organizing and expediting the imaging workload.
- Participates in the oversight and organizing of the imaging schedule; analyzes the projects/work to be done, plans for effective utilization of resources and assignments; minimizes overtime.
- Communicates with the head of the department and other clinical staff on imaging availability, downtime, and other operational aspects.
- Continuously monitors overall utilization of resources across studies and directs corrective action; problem solves and implements improvements.
- Delegates duties to personnel as necessary
- The lead nuclear medicine technologist will set and manage performance standards of the nuclear medicine technologist team.
- Supports staff in prioritization of work to be done.
- Monitors quality and accuracy of work performed by staff.
- Mentors team in the use of effective communication and problem-solving skills
- Works closely with other cross functional departments (i.e. Chemistry, Quality Assurance, Regulatory, Project Management, Medical Writing, Image Analysis, etc.) and leads imaging initiatives.
- Ability to work cooperatively with staff, ability to handle frequent interruptions and adapt to changes in the work schedule and workloads; to set priorities; to solve problems; and to respond quickly to emergency requests.
- Exercises independent judgment in making decisions from many diversified alternatives.
- Demonstrates the ability to identify and resolve interpersonal or professional conflicts when dealing with members of the Clinic team and organization to include peers, subordinates, participants, physicians, nurses and all other staff.
- Manages activities to ensure timely completion of projects.
- Manages staff training/orientation, development and, coordinates monthly team meetings.
- Encourages cross training of the staff across roles and responsibilities within the imaging area.
- Completes appropriate performance reviews and appraisals on time.
- Ability to function independently in the role with minimal oversight after normal business hours.
- Reviews feedback from clinical team and participants and makes necessary adjustments to improve satisfaction.
- Exhibits personal and professional pride and self-development.
- Other duties as required.
Qualifications:
- Graduated from an accredited Nuclear Medicine Technology program
- Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) certification in Computed Tomography (CT) or American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) certification in Computed Tomography (CT)
- Bachelor’s degree and 5 years relevant experience
- At least 2 years of related supervisory experience
- Certification basic life support (BLS), required
- Must have a strong background and advanced knowledge or radiopharmaceuticals, nuclear medicine equipment, and nuclear medicine imaging procedures
- Must have a thorough understanding of technology with advanced computer acquisition and processing techniques.
- Must understand anatomy and physiology and have knowledge of cross section anatomy.
- Strong knowledge of computer applications
- Requires excellent interpersonal communications
- Possess strong interpersonal skills when interacting with participants and working as part of a team; problem solving mindset.
- Demonstrate the ability to make effective complex decisions under pressure and ideally have a working knowledge of the research environment.
- Computer competency including proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Preferred
- Master's degree, preferred.
- Certification in positron emission tomography (PET), preferred.
- Advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS), preferred.
- Experience with patients affected by CNS disorders (i.e., Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, etc.)
Other
- Physical requirements – Ability to lift a minimum 50 pounds (22.7 kg) without assistance.
- Trained in patient transferring and ability to position and reposition subjects on the camera.
- Occupational Exposure/Risk Potential - Bloodborne pathogens or bodily fluid (Applicable)
- Occupational Exposure/Risk Potential – Radiation Exposure (Applicable)
About us:
Headquartered in Boston, MA, Invicro was founded in 2008 with the mission of improving the role and function of imaging in translational drug discovery and development across all therapeutic areas. Today, Invicro’s multi-disciplinary team provides solutions to pharmaceutical and biotech companies across all stages of the drug development pipeline (Phase 0-IV), all imaging modalities and all therapeutic areas, including neurology, oncology, and systemic and rare diseases. Invicro’s quantitative biomarker services, advanced analytics and AI tools, and clinical operational services are backed by the company’s industry-leading software informatics platforms, VivoQuant® and iPACS®, as well as their pioneering IQ-Analytics Platform, which includes AmyloidIQ, TauIQ and DaTIQ.
Invicro is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We maintain a drug-free work environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race (and traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists), color, creed, religion, citizenship status, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression (including transgender status), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of physical or mental disability, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.
Invicro does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters, third party recruiting agencies, outside recruiters or firms without an executed contract in place. We are not responsible for any fees related to resumes that are unsolicited or are received by Invicro. Such resumes will be deemed the sole property of Invicro and will be processed accordingly.
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