Nuclear medicine technologists use radioactive compounds to both diagnose and treat disease. Small amounts of radioactive tracers are inhaled, injected, or ingested to study diseases of the body. The images produced show the amount of tracer going to a tissue or organ and the rate at which it is taken up, indicating the functional status of the body commonly known as functional or molecular imaging. Nuclear medicine is also used to treat an increasing number of diseases, especially cancer that has spread throughout the body. The nuclear medicine technologist plays an integral part in the healthcare team, being responsible for performing the procedure, analysing the images and providing care to patients during this time.
The geographic distribution of the public workforce by local health district/network, by facility and per 100,000 population.