Nuclear medicine specialists have expertise in the study and application of nuclear properties and molecular tracers in prevention, detection, diagnosis, management, and treatment of diseases and disorders.

Nuclear medicine determines the cause of the medical problem based on the function of the organ, tissue, or bone. This is how nuclear medicine differs from anatomically based methods of determining the presence of disease based primarily on structural appearance.

Nuclear medicine specialists address the health care needs of the community through:

Diagnosis, management, and treatment of serious diseases and disorders.

Investigation and imaging, which provides detailed physiological and molecular information to help detect and diagnose the presence and severity of cancers and many other conditions in most organs and tissues in the body (for example the heart, brain, lungs, bones, liver, kidneys, thyroid, and skeleton).

Non-invasive tools to monitor and predict responses to therapy, and to help characterise diseases based on their molecular imaging appearances.

Training to select the most appropriate examination and treatment for the patient's particular medical problem, thereby avoiding unnecessary cost, inconvenience, and radiation exposure.

Nuclear medicine specialists possess unique clinical attributes, such as:

Broad clinical science knowledge, including anatomy, chemistry, radiation biology and safety, radiopharmacy, normal physiology and pathophysiology of disease, and nuclear physics.

High level skills in the technical processes and routine procedures undertaken in the specialty, including bone densitometry, PET, planar and SPECT gamma imaging, and radionuclide therapy.

Clinical judgement skills that focus on the clinical setting and the pathophysiological processes involved in each case.

Monitoring quality and adherence to regulatory standards of radionuclide preparation, administration, and disposal, and advising other clinicians of the clinical assessments, indications, limitations, and risks of diagnostic and therapeutic applications of radioactive materials and molecular ligands.

Nuclear medicine specialists have distinctive professional skills, including:

  • Research skills

    to support ongoing evidence-based practice in the specialty, with well-developed educational skills to support a teaching role in areas related to the specialty, especially with medical students, junior staff, nursing and allied health professionals, and members of the public.

  • High level communication skills

    especially in the explanation and reporting of procedures and studies employed in the specialty, and in the discussion of scientifically complex molecular treatments. Graduates of the program will be able to use these skills with referring doctors, other health professionals, and with patients and their families or carers.

  • Quality assurance skills

    to enable the implementation and ongoing evaluation of nuclear medicine practice to a high technical and professional standard.

  • Organisational skills

    to support independent practice in nuclear medicine, as well as contributions to and leadership of hospital teams.

  • Working as an integral member of multidisciplinary teams

    Nuclear medicine physicians and specialists work collaboratively with other health professionals to make balanced and objective clinical decisions, and ensure each patient receives the best available treatment and management.

Last modified: Wednesday, 20 August 2025, 3:48 PM