Program’s Initial Focus is to Fill Technologist Shortage in NY Capital Region and Mohawk Valley

BCC announced approval to launch an online Nuclear Medicine Technology (NMT) certificate program this coming Spring 2025 Semester. This program, the first of its kind to be offered by a college in New York State, has been in the making since June 2023, following discussion of the need at the national Nuclear Medicine Conference. Graduates may become licensed nuclear medicine technologists upon completion of the program and passing a national registry examination.

The shortage of nuclear medicine technologists is severe: Demand for these skilled professions in healthcare is growing with advancement in cancer treatment using nuclear medicine procedures. The supply of new technologists is limited, with few NMT programs in New York State; additionally, many technologists retired during the pandemic.

“The shortage of technologists is particularly acute in areas in Upstate New York,” said Nuclear Medicine Technology Program Director Grace Tursi-Wenzler. “BCC is uniquely poised to offer this certificate program, in part because we have offered a very successful in-person NMT associate degree for many years.” Demand for BCC NMT associate degree graduates is very strong, with 100% of the Class of 2024 receiving job offers in the NMT field, most at $50 or more per hour.

“The key was finding a way to offer the NMT program from a distance,” said Alex Ott, Associate Dean for Curriculum Matters and Academic Programs. “And we found the right combination of program structure, online courses, and in-person local clinical sites in the NY Capital Region and Mohawk Valley.” Tursi-Wenzler indicates that the response from area hospitals has been overwhelming, with many showing great interest in having their employees participate. The distance education program will be offered primarily to students who are already in the workforce as x-ray technicians looking to build on their career foundation.

CUNY’s University Dean for Health and Human Services, Patricia Simino Boyce, who has supported this program’s development, said, “We are most excited about the potential of this program to serve as a model that can be replicated in other areas. We extend our congratulations to BCC for its leadership in the field and out-of-the-box thinking in making this program a reality.”

While the certificate program is initially targeting students and hospital partnerships in the Capital Region and Mohawk Valley, it may expand to other regions of the state as well, including New York City and surrounding suburbs. Ott adds, “The longer-term goal is to address nuclear medicine technologist shortages where they exist throughout the state.”