Medical assistance, science and technology

How to become a nuclear medicine technologist

Official title: Nuclear medicine technologist

Also called: Nuclear radiographer, Radioisotope technician, Medical radiation technologist

Nuclear medicine technologists operate imaging equipment to help diagnose and treat diseases. They also prepare radioactive substances and administer these to patients.

Main tasks

Operate specialist medical equipment
Inject radioactive material into patients for imaging
Take medical images
Analyse medical images
Diagnose medical conditions
Explain medical procedures to patients
Prepare patients for medical procedures
Work with other medical professionals

How to become one

You need more than one qualification to become a nuclear medicine technologist and experience may be useful. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a bachelor's degree in radiology, radiography and radiation therapy or similar area; a clinical training position in nuclear medicine from an approved clinical centre; a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Sciences (Nuclear Medicine) from the University of Auckland; an Annual Practising Certificate. Other requirements: a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences; experience in similar work. Registration body: New Zealand Medical Radiation Technologists Board.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

University: Allied Health degrees, Offered by 4 universities in New Zealand
Registration or licence: An Annual Practising Certificate. Registration body: New Zealand Medical Radiation Technologists Board (https://www.mrtboard.org.nz/).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $87,000 to $135,000 a year (median $113,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $65,000 a year · Upper: $153,000 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Medical Imaging Professionals: 2,844 at the 2018 Census and 3,654 at the 2023 Census (+28.5%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 110 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Medical Imaging Professionals, 79% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Medical Imaging Professionals work (2023 Census): Auckland 32.7%, Canterbury 15.4%, and Wellington 9.5%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a nuclear medicine technologist?

How much does a nuclear medicine technologist earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $113,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $87,000 to $135,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a nuclear medicine technologist grown in New Zealand?

It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a nuclear medicine technologist?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026