American Board of Nuclear Medicine
Encyclopedia
The American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM) certifies physician
s as specialists
in the practice of nuclear medicine
. 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
(ABMS).
Nuclear medicine procedures use the tracer principle, most often radioactive tracer
s called radiopharmaceuticals
, to evaluate molecular, metabolic, physiologic, and pathologic conditions for diagnosis, therapy, and research. Nuclear medicine procedures are the major clinical applications of molecular imaging
and molecular therapy.
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.
The American Board of Medical Specialties
has a free website where certification of physicians can be confirmed, and where certified physicians can be found by geographic location.
, is a program of continuing education and evaluation for the diplomates of all member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties
. 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.
is a technology embedded medical specialty depending upon
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.
(ACGME) certifies nuclear medicine residency training programs. The Society of Nuclear Medicine
(SNM), 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 SNM is developing material for performance in practice evaluation.
The American College of Nuclear Physicians (ACNP) represents the practice and socio-economic interests of those engaged in the use of radionuclides.
A closely related board, the American Board of Radiology
(ABR), is another member of the American Board of Medical Specialties
. The ABR certifies radiologists
who also practice nuclear medicine.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) or associated state regulatory agencies oversee radiation safety associated with radioactive, by-product material. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the radiopharmaceuticals
used by nuclear medicine.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s as specialists
Specialty (medicine)
A specialty in medicine is a branch of medical science. After completing medical school, physicians or surgeons usually further their medical education in a specific specialty of medicine by completing a multiple year residency to become a medical specialist.-History of medical specialization:To...
in the practice of nuclear medicine
Nuclear medicine
In nuclear medicine procedures, elemental radionuclides are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds, or else combined with existing pharmaceutical compounds, to form radiopharmaceuticals. These radiopharmaceuticals, once administered to the patient, can localize to specific organs...
. Diplomates of the ABNM are called nuclear medicine physicians
Nuclear Medicine Physician
Nuclear Medicine Physicians are medical specialists that use tracers, usually radiopharmaceuticals, for diagnosis and therapy. Nuclear medicine procedures are the major clinical applications of molecular imaging and molecular therapy...
. The ABNM is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties
American Board of Medical Specialties
The American Board of Medical Specialties is a non-profit physician-led umbrella organization for 24 of the 26 approved medical specialty boards in the United States...
(ABMS).
Nuclear medicine procedures use the tracer principle, most often radioactive tracer
Radioactive tracer
A radioactive tracer, also called a radioactive label, is a substance containing a radioisotope that is used to measure the speed of chemical processes and to track the movement of a substance through a natural system such as a cell or tissue...
s called radiopharmaceuticals
Radiopharmacology
Radiopharmacology is the study and preparation of radiopharmaceuticals, which are radioactive pharmaceuticals. Radiopharmaceuticals are used in the field of nuclear medicine as tracers in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Many radiopharmaceuticals use technetium-99m which has many...
, 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
Molecular imaging originated from the field of radiopharmacology due to the need to better understand the fundamental molecular pathways inside organisms in a noninvasive manner.- Overview :...
and molecular therapy.
Mission statement
The American Board of Nuclear Medicine is the primary certifying organization for nuclear medicineNuclear medicine
In nuclear medicine procedures, elemental radionuclides are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds, or else combined with existing pharmaceutical compounds, to form radiopharmaceuticals. These radiopharmaceuticals, once administered to the patient, can localize to specific organs...
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 MedicineAmerican Board of Internal MedicineThe American Board of Internal Medicine is a non-profit, independent physician evaluation organization committed to continuously improving the profession for the public good by certifying physicians who practice internal medicine and its sub-specialties...
, - the American Board of Pathology,
- the American Board of RadiologyAmerican Board of RadiologyEstablished in 1934, the American Board of Radiology is a nonprofit physician-led organization. It oversees the certification and ongoing professional development of specialists in Diagnostic Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics....
, and - the Society of Nuclear MedicineSociety of Nuclear MedicineThe Society of Nuclear Medicine, or SNM, based in Reston, Virginia, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1954. There are 17,000 members: physicians, pharmacists, physicists and scientists, except for a separate section of 10,000 technologists...
.
- the American Board of Internal Medicine
- In 1985, it became a primary board, and
- in 1990, it became an independent board.
- In 1971, the ABNM was founded as a conjoint board, sponsored by
- 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 certificationMaintenance of Certification (MOC)Maintenance of Certification is the process of keeping physician certification up-to-date through one of the 24 approved medical specialty boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties...
.
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 EducationAccreditation Council for Graduate Medical EducationThe Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is the body responsible for the accreditation for graduate medical training programs for medical doctors in the United States. It is a non-profit private council that evaluates and accredits medical residency and internship programs...
(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 American Board of Medical Specialties
American Board of Medical Specialties
The American Board of Medical Specialties is a non-profit physician-led umbrella organization for 24 of the 26 approved medical specialty boards in the United States...
has a free website where certification of physicians can be confirmed, and where certified physicians can be found by geographic location.
Maintenance of certification
Maintenance of Certification (MOC)Maintenance of Certification (MOC)
Maintenance of Certification is the process of keeping physician certification up-to-date through one of the 24 approved medical specialty boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties...
, is a program of continuing education and evaluation for the diplomates of all member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties
American Board of Medical Specialties
The American Board of Medical Specialties is a non-profit physician-led umbrella organization for 24 of the 26 approved medical specialty boards in the United States...
. 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 learningLifelong learningLifelong learning is the continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an individual. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime...
and self-assessment. Diplomates must document participation in continuing medical educationContinuing medical educationContinuing medical education refers to a specific form of continuing education that helps those in the medical field maintain competence and learn about new and developing areas of their field. These activities may take place as live events, written publications, online programs, audio, video, or...
and must take part in self-assessment activities that are qualified by the ABNM. - Cognitive expertise. A secure, reliable, and valid exam must be successfully passed each 10 years.
- Performance in practice evaluation. A continuing process of evaluation, improvement, and reevaluation must be applied by each diplomates to his/her own practice.
Components of professional competence
Nuclear medicineNuclear medicine
In nuclear medicine procedures, elemental radionuclides are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds, or else combined with existing pharmaceutical compounds, to form radiopharmaceuticals. These radiopharmaceuticals, once administered to the patient, can localize to specific organs...
is a technology embedded medical specialty depending upon
- physicsAtomic, molecular, and optical physicsAtomic, molecular, and optical physics is the study of matter-matter and light-matter interactions on the scale of single atoms or structures containing a few atoms. The three areas are grouped together because of their interrelationships, the similarity of methods used, and the commonality of the...
(Medical physicsMedical physicsMedical physics is the application of physics to medicine. It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although a medical physicist may also work in many other areas of healthcare...
) to understand radioisotopesRadionuclideA radionuclide is an atom with an unstable nucleus, which is a nucleus characterized by excess energy available to be imparted either to a newly created radiation particle within the nucleus or to an atomic electron. The radionuclide, in this process, undergoes radioactive decay, and emits gamma...
and radiationRadiationIn physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
, - engineeringBiomedical engineeringBiomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
to design instruments that can image and measure gamma rayGamma rayGamma radiation, also known as gamma rays or hyphenated as gamma-rays and denoted as γ, is electromagnetic radiation of high frequency . Gamma rays are usually naturally produced on Earth by decay of high energy states in atomic nuclei...
s and X-rays, - radiation biologyRadiobiologyRadiobiology , as a field of clinical and basic medical sciences, originated from Leopold Freund's 1896 demonstration of the therapeutic treatment of a hairy mole using a new type of electromagnetic radiation called x-rays, which was discovered 1 year previously by the German physicist, Wilhelm...
and health physicsHealth physicsHealth physics is a field of science concerned with radiation physics and radiation biology with the goal of providing technical information and proper techniques regarding the safe use of ionizing radiation...
to understand therapyUnsealed source radiotherapyUnsealed source radiotherapy relates to the use of soluble forms of radioactive substances which are administered to the body by injection or ingestion. Such substances are typically used for their biological properties, which are similar to their non-radioactive parent substance.A review of the...
and radiation protection, - chemistryRadiochemistryRadiochemistry is the chemistry of radioactive materials, where radioactive isotopes of elements are used to study the properties and chemical reactions of non-radioactive isotopes...
and pharmacyRadiopharmacologyRadiopharmacology is the study and preparation of radiopharmaceuticals, which are radioactive pharmaceuticals. Radiopharmaceuticals are used in the field of nuclear medicine as tracers in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Many radiopharmaceuticals use technetium-99m which has many...
to produce radiopharmaceuticalsRadiopharmacologyRadiopharmacology is the study and preparation of radiopharmaceuticals, which are radioactive pharmaceuticals. Radiopharmaceuticals are used in the field of nuclear medicine as tracers in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Many radiopharmaceuticals use technetium-99m which has many...
, and - biochemistryReceptor (biochemistry)In biochemistry, a receptor is a molecule found on the surface of a cell, which receives specific chemical signals from neighbouring cells or the wider environment within an organism...
and physiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
to understand the biodistributionBiodistributionBiodistribution 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 scanning, a radioactive isotope is chemically joined with a peptide...
of tracersIsotopic labelingIsotopic labeling is a technique for tracking the passage of a sample of substance through a system. The substance is 'labeled' by including unusual isotopes in its chemical composition...
.
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 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical EducationAccreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is the body responsible for the accreditation for graduate medical training programs for medical doctors in the United States. It is a non-profit private council that evaluates and accredits medical residency and internship programs...
(ACGME) certifies nuclear medicine residency training programs. The Society of Nuclear Medicine
Society of Nuclear Medicine
The Society of Nuclear Medicine, or SNM, based in Reston, Virginia, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1954. There are 17,000 members: physicians, pharmacists, physicists and scientists, except for a separate section of 10,000 technologists...
(SNM), 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 SNM is developing material for performance in practice evaluation.
The American College of Nuclear Physicians (ACNP) represents the practice and socio-economic interests of those engaged in the use of radionuclides.
A closely related board, the American Board of Radiology
American Board of Radiology
Established in 1934, the American Board of Radiology is a nonprofit physician-led organization. It oversees the certification and ongoing professional development of specialists in Diagnostic Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics....
(ABR), is another member of the American Board of Medical Specialties
American Board of Medical Specialties
The American Board of Medical Specialties is a non-profit physician-led umbrella organization for 24 of the 26 approved medical specialty boards in the United States...
. The ABR certifies radiologists
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
who also practice nuclear medicine.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
(NRC) or associated state regulatory agencies oversee radiation safety associated with radioactive, by-product material. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the radiopharmaceuticals
Radiopharmacology
Radiopharmacology is the study and preparation of radiopharmaceuticals, which are radioactive pharmaceuticals. Radiopharmaceuticals are used in the field of nuclear medicine as tracers in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Many radiopharmaceuticals use technetium-99m which has many...
used by nuclear medicine.