As one of only three accredited nuclear medicine programs in New York State, Bronx Community College (BCC) is hoping to fill a need for more licensed technologists across the State and provide a growing number of students with pathways to high-paying jobs as nuclear medicine technologists in a rapidly expanding field. BCC’s Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree program, which began in 1980, has about 15 graduates per year starting jobs at an annual average salary of more than $100,000.

“The field is exploding, and a new facet of nuclear medicine called Theranostics has been trending since COVID,” explained BCC’s Nuclear Medicine Technology Program Director Grace Tursi-Wenzler. “Through radioactivity we are now treating cancers rather than just imaging them. There are so many job opportunities out there and not enough qualified technologists to fill these positions. We are happy that BCC can play a role in addressing the technologist shortage throughout NY State.”

Students in Year 1 complete their required coursework, which takes place primarily in the classroom and is offered mainly in the evening to accommodate students who work jobs during the day. This first year focuses on core Nuclear Medicine studies, including Instrumentation, Nuclear Physics, Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry and Clinical Procedures. In Year 2, students move on to do hands-on clinical internships in the Nuclear Medicine Technology Department of partnering sites (such as Montefiore centers, Mt. Sinai, NY Presbyterian, St. Barnabas, and Lincoln Hospital) throughout the Bronx and Manhattan. This academic year, BCC also added a CAT scan certification program that broadens students’ qualifications, making them even more marketable and versatile when combined with their AAS degree.

“I was not clear on what the future was going to look like before I began in the Nuclear Medicine Technology program,” said current BCC student Fabian Olaya, who will be graduating this year after doing clinical work at both Montefiore and Mt. Sinai. “This program has opened up so many possibilities and opportunities for me. Now is the perfect time for anyone to be entering the field.”

Two groups of BCC students will be presenting abstracts at the April 5-6 Greater New York Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine conference, where BCC has earned First, Second and Third Place awards the past three consecutive years. Additionally, Tursi-Wenzler and her colleague Mario DiDea, Clinical Coordinator for the program, recently presented at the National Nuclear Medicine conference.

Tursi-Wenzler began her Director role at BCC in 2018. Prior to that, she was a nuclear medicine technologist herself, working primarily in oncology.

“My students are the most humble, hard working, and dedicated students I have ever encountered,” she said. “To see students come in not knowing what they want to do, then discovering nuclear medicine and generating a passion for this work, is incredible. Students will call me to tell me about their job offers and how much money they are making. It’s life changing.”

This weekend, Tursi-Wenzler will stay true to her and BCC’s mission running a program to help cancer patients, when she runs in the New York City Half Marathon. Through her participation in the event, she has raised $1,200 to benefit Pediatric Cancer treatment and research.