How to Become a Nuclear Cardiologist
Nuclear cardiology involves the use of radioactive material to diagnose and treat patients with heart conditions through noninvasive means. The specialist administering this kind of diagnosis and treatment is called a nuclear cardiologist. One procedure a nuclear cardiologist administers is injecting an imaging agent into a patient's bloodstream to monitor the heart during an activity, and when resting. Resulting images are used to diagnose a patient's ailment. A medical degree and a number of years in specialized training are needed to become a nuclear cardiologist.
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Instructions
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Graduate from high school and apply to attend a school with a premed program. Every premed school requires nuclear cardiology candidates to have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Focus on mathematics and sciences while in high school and earn the best grades you can in all your classes to improve your chances of being accepted into premed school. The better your grades, the better your chances one of the more renowned premed schools will accept you.
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Study for a premed undergraduate degree. It takes at least four years -- less on rare occasions -- to earn an undergraduate degree, which you'll need before entering medical school. Undergraduate courses include physics, biology, mathematics, chemistry and English. You will also be required to take social sciences and humanities courses while studying at the undergraduate level. It is not a requirement, but it might be helpful for you to volunteer at a local health institution to gain practical experience.
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Apply for admission to a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) once you meet the requirements. You're eligible to apply for admission after three years of college. However, most applicants have a bachelor's degree or higher, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Admission to medical school is very competitive. There were only 129 accredited medical schools in the U.S. as of 2008.
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Apply for a nuclear cardiology residency when you graduate from medical school. It takes at least four years to graduate from medical school. Internships and residency typically last up to eight years. The residency program must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
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Pursue certification from the Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology (CBNC) after obtaining your state medical license and completing at least two years of nuclear cardiology training in residency. The goal of the CBNC certification is to -- in part -- validate your nuclear cardiology knowledge. Once certified, you can work to help to treat coronary heart disease, a leading cause of death in the U.S.
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