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Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Atlanta VA Health Care System

Summary

The Nuclear Medicine Technologist has the responsibility for providing a wide range of specialized and complex Nuclear Medicine procedures, including emission imaging for diagnostics; therapy with unsealed radioactive materials; using and maintaining emission counting and imaging equipment; setting up and monitoring of quality controls; and working within guidelines of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).




Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/07/2026 to 04/13/2026
Salary
$100,107 - $130,146 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Atlanta, GA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CBTB-12918060-26-CMW
Control number
864103100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position is opened to all US Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. v For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Duties

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:

  • The Nuclear Medicine Technologist has the responsibility for providing a wide range of specialized and complex nuclear medicine procedures, including diagnostic imaging, therapy with unsealed radioactive materials, radio-assay, in-vivo or in-vitro cell labeling; evaluating abnormal results; using and maintaining equipment; setting up and monitoring quality control; working within guidelines from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission INRC), Department of Transportation (DOT), National Health Physics Program, Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) among others.
  • Calculate, prepare, assay, and administer radiopharmaceutical doses by injection, inhalation or ingestion as prescribed, which includes the compounding of cold pharmaceutical kits with the required radioactive agent under sterility requirements.
  • Proficient in introducing intravenous catheters in patients for administration of radiopharmaceuticals and/or pharmaceuticals.
  • Calculate the required pharmaceutical dosage for procedures; prepare pharmaceuticals for injection, such as sincalide, lasix, captopril, adenosine, dipyridamole, regadenoson, and dobutamine; and administer the pharmaceuticals with the Nuclear Medicine Physician and/or the Nuclear Medicine Physician Assistant.
  • Operate nuclear medicine equipment such as gamma cameras, well counters, multi channel analyzers, GM survey meters and room monitors, thyroid uptake systems, and dose calibrators for various patient procedures.
  • Operate bone density systems and analyze images for bone composition comparisons.
  • Receive patients, explain procedure, answer questions and evaluate the patient's medical condition and tolerability for the procedure, position patient for all necessary imaging steps and tend to their comfort for the duration of the procedure.
  • Perform a full range of nuclear medicine diagnostic imaging, non-imaging, In-vitro and therapeutic procedures, including highly specialized computer assisted studies such as gated, tomographic, dual-modality (SPECT/CT and PET/CT), and quantitative procedures.
  • Demonstrate a thorough understanding of personnel requiring film badges. Read and understand the film badge exposure report.
  • Prepare studies for nuclear medicine physician's interpretation by ensuring completeness of all forms involved in the procedure. Record appropriate data and related information on the proper patient worksheet and images.
  • Analyze procedure images for quality and obtain additional images when necessary.
  • Correctly administer radiopharmaceuticals and pharmaceuticals to patients. Utilizes necessary quality management methods of patient identification such as using two unique identifiers and using active rather than passive identification.
  • Obtain pertinent clinical data from the patient, electronic chart, requisition, and interviewing the patient and/or family.
  • Recognize potential radiation contamination by visual and mechanical method.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, Rotating and on-call Monday - Friday and weekends
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 51968F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
  • Subject to background/security investigation.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
  • Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
  • Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

English Language Proficiency: NMTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a.

Certification. All applicants must be certified in nuclear medicine technology by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) or the American Registry of Radiologic Technology (ARRT) (N). NMTCB or ARRT (N) certification eligibility requirements are normally satisfied by one of the following:

  • (1) Completion of a NMTCB-recognized nuclear medicine technology program,
OR
  • (2) Completion of a nuclear medicine technology program accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology (JRCNMT), or other accrediting agencies as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), culminating in a certificate, associate, baccalaureate, or master's degree. Educational programs must have structured clinical training sufficient to provide clinical competency in radiation safety, instrumentation, clinical procedures, and radio-pharmacy, as deemed acceptable by the NMTCB.
May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:
Nuclear Medicine Technologist, GS-11

Experience:
Completion of 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-9) level directly related to the position.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: The candidate must demonstrate all of the following technical KSAs.
  • Ability to produce and assess high quality and quality control images using independent judgement to recognize abnormal or unacceptable results.
  • Knowledge and skill in the use of ancillary equipment with an understanding of how the results will affect the study outcome.
  • Knowledge of physiologic processes as they relate to altered radiopharmaceutical uptake and/or artefactual findings.
  • Ability to obtain, assess and document pre-therapy patient preparation information and provide post-therapy patient education following proper administration of advanced therapy dose.
  • Ability to analyze instances of increased radiation exposure levels and recommend measures to reduce.
  • Ability to analyze consequences of improper packaging of radioactive material and take appropriate actions.
Preferred Experience: General Nuclear Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology, PET/CT, Bone Densitometry, and Nuclear Medicine Theranostics

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
VA Handbook 5005/125 Part II Appendix G19.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 11.

Physical Requirements: The incumbent usually works standing and has patient contact involving occasional heavy lifting, and/or assisting patients. This can be particularly severe when patients are combative and uncooperative. The computer area of the in vivo section calls for long periods of working around loud noise, prolonged concentration and long periods of sitting, while working under pressure of a deadline to produce accurate patient test results. They must have full manual dexterity and keyboarding skills. Must be able to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken and written word. Must be able to view and read information on computer screens.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

Agency contact information

Carla Williams
Email
carla.williams10@va.gov
Address
Atlanta VA Medical Center
1670 Clairmont Road
Decatur, GA 30033
US

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