Dept. Contact:

Location:

Phone:

Email:

Nuclear Medicine is both its own specialty and a subspecialty of radiology that uses unsealed radioactive materials for the purpose of diagnosis and therapy. The emphasis of a student rotation is to gather an understanding of the technology, the fundamentals of radiation and radiation biology, and the common diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that are performed in nuclear medicine.
Hines VA has a full service department that includes general diagnostic procedures, PET/CT, and therapies. We have an imaging study for virtually every organ system in the body, and students will find this rotation to be valuable and educational no matter what medical specialty they choose to pursue.

Expectations:
1. You should plan to be in the department from 9am-4pm Monday-Friday. We are closed on federal holidays.

2. You will give a short presentation to the physician staff at the end of your rotation on a nuclear medicine topic of your choosing. This will be informal and no more than 20-30 minutes.
3. A written exam may be administered at the discretion of the attending physician. Students who demonstrate interest in the rotation with good attendance will not be required to take the written examination.

Topics that you will learn during your rotation:
1. Radioactivity and decay
2. Radiation protection
3. Biological effects of radiation
4. Commonly used radiopharmaceuticals and their actions
5. Clinical indications for nuclear medicine studies and therapies

Assessment:

1) General student's performance based on attendance and demonstration of interest.
2) Presentation.