Nuclear medicine technologists prepare and administer small doses of radioactive material called radiopharmaceuticals, then use gamma cameras, SPECT, or PET equipment to capture images that help diagnose disease. Because the role involves direct handling of radioactive byproduct material and direct patient contact, a candidate for this job can run into background screening from more than one direction at once. A state licensing or certification board may review criminal history before issuing a credential. The hospital, imaging center, or radioactive material licensee that employs the technologist runs its own hiring background check. And in some facilities, access to larger quantities of radioactive material triggers a separate federal access authorization review built around trustworthiness and reliability rather than a criminal record alone.
This post walks through each layer: which states license or certify the role and what their applications ask about criminal history, how the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s access authorization rules fit in, and what an employer has to do under the Fair Credit Reporting Act when it uses a background check company to screen a candidate.
Why this role gets more than one kind of check
A nuclear medicine technologist typically works under a radioactive material license issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or, in states that have taken over that authority, by the state’s own radiation control agency as an NRC agreement state. The license belongs to the hospital or clinic, not the individual technologist, but the facility is responsible for who it allows to handle the material. That responsibility shows up in three separate places: the state’s professional licensing or certification rule for the technologist, the facility’s own employment screening, and, for some facilities, a federal access authorization determination tied to the quantity of material on site.
Not every one of those three layers applies in every state or at every facility. Where a layer does not apply, the honest answer is that it does not apply, rather than assuming every nuclear medicine technologist goes through an identical process nationwide.
State licensing: it depends on the state
There is no single national license for nuclear medicine technologists. Many practicing technologists hold a voluntary certification from a private certifying body rather than a government issued license, and that certification by itself does not carry a state mandated criminal history check. A number of states, however, fold nuclear medicine technologists into a broader medical imaging or radiologic technology licensing act, and those state boards do look at criminal history as part of the license application.
Florida is one example. The Florida Department of Health’s radiologic technologist licensing program, administered under chapter 468, part IV of the Florida Statutes, lists nuclear medicine technologists alongside general radiographers and radiation therapists as a licensed category. Applicants must disclose past criminal convictions and professional disciplinary actions, and the state bars licensure for anyone who has committed an offense listed in section 435.03 of the Florida Statutes, the same disqualifying offense list Florida uses for its broader health care background screening program.
Kentucky takes a similar approach. The Kentucky Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy requires anyone who operates radiation emitting equipment for nuclear medicine, among other imaging specialties, to hold an active state license, and its licensing instructions direct applicants to obtain a statewide criminal background check from the state police department in every state where they have lived or worked over the past five years.
Other states regulate nuclear medicine technologists only indirectly, through the facility’s radioactive material license and general health facility rules, without a dedicated professional licensing statute for the technologist. Where that is the case, the state itself is not running a criminal history check on the applicant. State rules in this area vary enough that an applicant or employer should confirm the specific requirement in the state where the work will happen rather than assume either the Florida or Kentucky model applies everywhere.
| State or layer | Agency | What it covers | Background element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | Florida Department of Health, radiologic technology licensing | Licenses nuclear medicine technologists, general radiographers, and radiation therapists under chapter 468, part IV | Disclosure of convictions and discipline, measured against the section 435.03 disqualifying offense list |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy | Licenses individuals who operate radiation emitting equipment for nuclear medicine and related specialties | Statewide criminal background check from state police in every state of residence or work in the past five years |
| States without a dedicated license for this role | Varies, generally the facility’s own radioactive material licensing agency | No separate state professional license tied to the job title | No state run criminal history check at the licensing stage, so employer screening carries more weight |
Federal oversight: NRC access authorization for radioactive material
Separate from state licensing, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission sets security rules for who can access certain quantities of radioactive material, codified at 10 CFR part 37, subpart C. For individuals who need unescorted access to category 1 or category 2 quantities of radioactive material, the licensee must complete a background investigation to determine the person’s trustworthiness and reliability before granting that access. This determination is made by a reviewing official designated by the licensee and is broader than a simple criminal record check.
Most routine diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures use quantities of material well below the category 1 and category 2 thresholds that trigger this specific access authorization program, so not every nuclear medicine technologist’s daily work falls under part 37. Facilities that hold larger quantities, such as certain therapy programs or regional radiopharmacies, are more likely to apply this federal access authorization step on top of state licensing and employer screening. Either way, the responsibility for making the trustworthiness and reliability determination sits with the radioactive material licensee, not with the technologist’s state license alone.
Employer background checks and the FCRA
Alongside any state licensing check, the hospital or imaging center that hires a nuclear medicine technologist typically runs its own pre employment background check, often through a third party consumer reporting agency. When that happens, federal law sets the process the employer has to follow. According to the joint EEOC and FTC guidance on background checks, an employer generally must give the applicant a standalone disclosure that a report may be obtained, get the applicant’s written authorization, and, before taking any adverse action based on the report, provide a pre adverse action notice with a copy of the report, followed by an adverse action notice if the employer proceeds. These steps apply regardless of what the report does or does not contain, and they sit on top of, not instead of, any state licensing requirement.
Because hospitals and imaging centers that bill Medicare or Medicaid have their own compliance exposure, many also screen new hires, including nuclear medicine technologists, against the HHS Office of Inspector General’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities. An excluded individual cannot be paid, directly or indirectly, for services billed to a federal health program, so this check is generally run separately from, and in addition to, the state license verification and the FCRA consumer report process.
What typically shows up and what varies by state
A background check for this role can surface a criminal history record, a prior state licensing action in another jurisdiction, a federal exclusion, or gaps and discrepancies in education and employment history. What specifically disqualifies a candidate from state licensure depends on the state’s own disqualifying offense list, where one exists, and state law and the seven year reporting rule for how far back a criminal history search reaches both vary. No employer or screening company can promise that a report will show a given record in every state, and no background check should be described as promised or complete.
Drug related convictions are reviewed by some licensing boards as a trust and safety issue, since the role involves handling medication adjacent material and direct patient contact, even though radiopharmaceuticals themselves are not controlled substances in the way opioids are. Employers evaluating a criminal record should weigh the nature of the offense, how long ago it occurred, and its relevance to patient safety and radioactive material handling, rather than apply an automatic disqualification that the state’s own licensing rule does not require.
Frequently asked questions
Do all states require a separate license for nuclear medicine technologists?
No. Some states, including Florida and Kentucky, license or certify nuclear medicine technologists directly and review criminal history as part of that process. Other states rely on the facility’s radioactive material license and the employer’s own screening, without a dedicated state license tied to the job title.
Does the Nuclear Regulatory Commission run a background check on every nuclear medicine technologist?
Not in every case. The NRC’s access authorization rule under 10 CFR part 37 requires a trustworthiness and reliability background investigation for individuals who need unescorted access to category 1 or category 2 quantities of radioactive material. Most routine diagnostic work uses smaller quantities that fall outside that specific threshold.
What does Florida’s licensing board check for nuclear medicine technologist applicants?
Florida requires applicants to disclose past criminal convictions and disciplinary actions, and bars licensure for anyone who has committed an offense on the state’s section 435.03 disqualifying offense list, the same list used in Florida’s broader health care background screening program.
What must an employer do before rejecting a nuclear medicine technologist applicant because of a background check?
Under the FCRA process described in the joint EEOC and FTC guidance, the employer generally must send a pre adverse action notice with a copy of the consumer report, give the applicant a chance to respond, and then send an adverse action notice if it proceeds with the decision.
Do hospitals check the OIG exclusion list for nuclear medicine technologists?
Hospitals and imaging centers that bill federal health programs generally screen new hires, including nuclear medicine technologists, against the HHS Office of Inspector General’s exclusion list, since employing an excluded individual can create liability for the facility regardless of the technologist’s state license status.
Related reading
For how a closely related imaging credential is screened, see Radiologic Technologist Background Check Requirements: State Licensing, Ethics Review and Employer Screening. For how NRC access authorization works in a different setting with larger quantities of material, see Nuclear Plant Worker Background Check: NRC Access Authorization and Fitness for Duty. Employers building a screening process for licensed clinical roles can start at Reveal Background.
This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. Employers and applicants should confirm current requirements with the applicable state licensing board, the facility’s radiation safety officer, and qualified counsel.
