Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Advanced Diploma of Health Sciences in Nuclear Medicine Technology
What are the roles and responsibilities in your current position?
I am a nuclear medicine technologist, currently working casual at the Brantford General Hospital. Some of my roles and responsibilities are to prepare and administer radiopharmaceuticals. These radiopharmaceuticals are also referred to as radioactive isotopes. I use radiation detecting equipment known as gamma cameras to detect for blood flow, organ function, cancer spread, myocardial infarct, and infections. The imaging requires computer processing and image enhancement before the nuclear medicine physician can interpret the images. Many scans that I would perform are bone scanning, cardiac wall motion studies, brain scanning, thyroid and gallbladder tests.
What barriers did you have to overcome to succeed?
When I graduated high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I just went to university, and I struggled in the life sciences program. There was no support for Indigenous students back 34 years ago, and I didn’t enjoy university. I then discovered the nuclear medicine technologist program at the Michener Institute in Toronto. I loved the program, it was a small very multicultural class environment, and I fit in well.
When I seen the struggles, I had endured in school, I wanted to help others. I am working with Colleen Montour and we are partners in the Haudenosaunee Health Services. Our goal is to help with mentorship and assisting individuals with their health career goals. We are so pleased to have educated health professionals willing to help in our mentorship program!
What is your advice for healthcare students?
I hope by creating Haudenosaunee Health Services we can assist healthcare students in career choices or introduce them to a mentor. I believe if you have a career dream it can be accomplished through many different pathways.
Haudenosaunee Health Services 