The American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM) certifies

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

s as specialists in the practice of

nuclear medicine Nuclear medicine or nucleology is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging, in a sense, is "radiology done inside out" because it records radiation emitting ...

. Diplomates of the ABNM are called nuclear medicine physicians. The ABNM is one of the 24 member boards of the

American Board of Medical Specialties Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is a non-profit organization which represent 24 broad areas of specialty medicine. ABMS is the largest physician-led specialty certification organization in the United States ...

(ABMS). Nuclear medicine procedures use the tracer principle, most often

radioactive tracer A radioactive tracer, radiotracer, or radioactive label is a chemical compound in which one or more atoms have been replaced by a radionuclide so by virtue of its radioactive decay it can be used to explore the mechanism of chemical reactions by ...

s called

radiopharmaceuticals Radiopharmaceuticals, or medicinal radiocompounds, are a group of pharmaceutical drugs containing radioactive isotopes. Radiopharmaceuticals can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Radiopharmaceuticals emit radiation themselves, which is ...

, to evaluate molecular, metabolic, physiologic, and pathologic conditions for diagnosis, therapy, and research. Nuclear medicine procedures are the major clinical applications of

molecular imaging Molecular imaging is a field of medical imaging that focuses on imaging molecules of medical interest within living patients. This is in contrast to conventional methods for obtaining molecular information from preserved tissue samples, such as ...

and molecular therapy.

Mission statement

The American Board of Nuclear Medicine is the primary certifying organization for

in the United States. The Board serves the public through assurance of high quality patient care by establishing standards of training, initial certification, and continuing competence of physicians providing nuclear medicine diagnostic and therapeutic services.

History

* The American Board of Nuclear Medicine ** In 1971, the ABNM was founded as a conjoint board, sponsored by *** the

American Board of Internal Medicine The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, self-appointed physician-evaluation organization that certifies physicians practicing internal medicine and its subspecialties. The American Board of Internal Medicine is n ...

, *** the

American Board of Pathology The American Board of Pathology (ABPath) is one of 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties. This organization was assembled in May 1936, under the approval of the Advisory Board for Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American ...

, *** the

American Board of Radiology Established in 1934, the American Board of Radiology (ABR) is an independent, not-for-profit professional association with headquarters in Tucson, Arizona. It oversees the certification and ongoing professional development of physician specialists ...

, and *** the

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), formerly the Society of Nuclear Medicine, is a nonprofit scientific and professional organization that promotes the science, technology and practical application of nuclear medicine a ...

, formerly the Society of Nuclear Medicine. ** In 1985, it became a primary board, and ** in 1990, it became an independent board. * Certification ** In 1972, the ABNM issued its first certificates. ** In 1992, recertification every 10 years was introduced. ** In 2007, recertification was replaced by the ongoing process called

maintenance of certification Maintenance of Certification (MOC) is a recently implemented and controversial process of physician certification maintenance through one of the 24 approved medical specialty boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the 18 ap ...

** In 2017, a pilot of CertLink™ will be provided as an alternate to the MOC exam.

Certification

A physician certified by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine has # a valid license to practice medicine, # successfully completed training in an

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is the body responsible for accrediting all graduate medical training programs (i.e., internships, residencies, and fellowships, a.k.a. subspecialty programs) for physicians in the ...

(ACGME) approved residency program, # been evaluated by the director of the training program and found competent in clinical nuclear medicine, and # passed a secure computer-based examination encompassing the medical uses of radioactive materials and related sciences. The

has a fre
website
where certification of physicians can be confirmed, and where certified physicians can be found by geographic location.

Maintenance of certification

Maintenance of Certification Maintenance of Certification (MOC) is a recently implemented and controversial process of physician certification maintenance through one of the 24 approved medical specialty boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the 18 ap ...

(MOC) is a program of continuing education and evaluation for the diplomates of all member boards of the

. Initial certification documents a physicians initial competence; Maintenance of Certification documents a commitment to remaining up-to-date. The American Board of Nuclear Medicine's MOC program has four parts. # Professional standing. Evidence of professional standing is provided by maintain unrestricted license(s) to practice medicine. #

Lifelong learning Lifelong learning is the "ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated"Department of Education and Science (2000).Learning for Life: Paper on Adult Education Dublin: Stationery Office. pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons ...

and self-assessment. Diplomates must document participation in continuing medical education and must take part in self-assessment activities that are qualified by the ABNM. # Cognitive expertise. Either a secure, reliable, and valid exam must be successfully passed each 10 years, or diplomates must participate in CertLink. # Performance in practice evaluation. A continuing process of evaluation, improvement, and reevaluation must be applied by each diplomates to his/her own practice.

CertLink™

The CertLink pilot will provide ABNM diplomates with questions to answer on a regular basis. After answering the question, the diplomates will receive feedback – the correct answer, a brief explanation, and literature references. The pilot has been designed using cognitive physiology principles to provide continuing medical education at the same time as the diplomate demonstrates continuing expertise.

Components of professional competence

Nuclear medicine Nuclear medicine or nucleology is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging, in a sense, is "radiology done inside out" because it records radiation emitting ...

is a technology embedded medical specialty depending upon *

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

(

Medical physics Medical physics deals with the application of the concepts and methods of physics to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases with a specific goal of improving human health and well-being. Since 2008, medical physics has been incl ...

) to understand

radioisotopes A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable. This excess energy can be used in one of three ways: emitted from the nucleus as gamma radiation; transferr ...

and

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...

, *

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

to design

instruments Instrument may refer to: Science and technology * Flight instruments, the devices used to measure the speed, altitude, and pertinent flight angles of various kinds of aircraft * Laboratory equipment, the measuring tools used in a scientific lab ...

that can image and measure

gamma ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

s and

X-rays An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 Picometre, picometers to 10 Nanometre, nanometers, corresponding to frequency, ...

, *

radiation biology Radiobiology (also known as radiation biology, and uncommonly as actinobiology) is a field of clinical and basic medical sciences that involves the study of the action of ionizing radiation on living things, especially health effects of radiation. ...

and

health physics Health physics, also referred to as the science of radiation protection, is the profession devoted to protecting people and their environment from potential radiation hazards, while making it possible to enjoy the beneficial uses of radiation. He ...

to understand

therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

and

radiation protection Radiation protection, also known as radiological protection, is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "The protection of people from harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, and the means for achieving this". Expos ...

, *

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

and

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

to produce

, and *

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

and

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

to understand the

biodistribution Biodistribution is a method of tracking where compounds of interest travel in an experimental animal or human subject. For example, in the development of new compounds for PET ( positron emission tomography) scanning, a radioactive isotope is chem ...

tracers Tracer may refer to: Science * Flow tracer, any fluid property used to track fluid motion * Fluorescent tracer, a substance such as 2-NBDG containing a fluorophore that is used for tracking purposes * Histochemical tracer, a substance used for tr ...

. The components of professional competence for nuclear medicine physicians include a basic understanding of all of these underlying sciences as well as a thorough understanding of their medical application. The program requirements for nuclear medicine residencies also include all of these elements.

Related organizations

The American Board of Nuclear Medicine certifies individual nuclear medicine physicians. The nuclear medicine review committee of the

(ACGME) certifies nuclear medicine residency training programs. The

(SNMMI), the major nuclear medicine scientific and professional organization, provides continuing education and self-assessment modules that can be used to fulfill the lifelong learning and self-assessment requirement of MOC, and the SNMMI is developing material for performance in practice evaluation. Additionally, the American Osteopathic Board of Nuclear Medicine is responsible for certification of osteopathic nuclear medicine physicians. The American College of Nuclear Physicians (ACNP) represents the practice and socio-economic interests of those engaged in the use of radionuclides.American College of Nuclear Physicians
/ref> A closely related board, the

is another member of the

. The ABR certifies

radiologists Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiatio ...

who also practice nuclear medicine. The

Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the NRC began operat ...

(NRC) or associated state regulatory agencies oversee radiation safety associated with radioactive, by-product material. The

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

(FDA) oversees the

used by nuclear medicine.

References

External links

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
*
List of ACGME Accredited Programs

American Board of Nuclear Medicine

American Board of Medical Specialties

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
{{authority control Medical and health organizations based in Missouri Medical associations based in the United States Nuclear medicine organizations Organizations established in 1971 501(c)(3) organizations 1971 establishments in the United States