Frequently Asked Questions
These FAQs address common questions about ABSNM certification applications, specialty examination qualifications, examination format, and examination protocols.
Experience, Degree Date, References
NMPI and Radiation Protection
Format, Location, Calculator
Application Materials Available Online
Applying to Take an ABSNM Certification Exam
Review these questions before submitting an application or attestation of experience form.
General Application Questions
Can I have someone write a reference letter attesting to my experience and competency?
Freely written reference letters are not accepted by the ABSNM. The Letter of Reference / Attestation of Experience and Competency form for the relevant exam must be used by the supervisor.
Can my professional experience be before I received my master’s or doctorate degree?
No. The training or experience must be after the date of the qualifying master’s or doctorate degree as indicated on the academic transcript.
Does post-doctoral experience count as professional experience?
Yes.
Can my training or experience be part time?
Yes. What matters is the full-time equivalent, defined as:
Full-time equivalent = percent effort × duration
On the application, the duration, effort, and percent effort devoted to the specialty area must be provided. On the Letter of Reference / Attestation of Experience and Competency form, the supervisor must give the start and end date, or indicate ongoing supervision, and the percent effort in the exam specialty area.
For the Nuclear Medicine Physics & Instrumentation exam, the supervisor must indicate effort in Medical Physics and effort in Nuclear Medicine Physics & Instrumentation.
I received my graduate degree on July 1. How soon can I take the exam?
The training or experience must occur after the date of the graduate degree. Depending on the exam and the graduate degree, either two or three years of training or experience after the degree is required.
For example, if you received your degree on July 1, 2020, the soonest that you could have acquired two years of training or experience is July 1, 2022. The earliest that you could have acquired three years of training or experience is July 1, 2023.
If your requirement is two years of training or experience, then the earliest that you could take the exam is in June 2023. If your requirement is three years of training or experience, then the earliest that you could take the exam is in June 2024.
What counts as the date of my master’s or doctorate degree?
The applicable date is the date of the degree on your transcript.
I received my training or experience outside the United States. Will this count?
Yes, as long as the supervisor meets the proper qualifications appropriate for the specific specialty exam.
Nuclear Medicine Physics & Instrumentation Questions
I am unclear on the medical physics and NMPI training or experience requirements. Can you explain?
For the Nuclear Medicine Physics & Instrumentation specialty exam, there are two sets of training or experience requirements.
First, either two years for doctorate degree holders or three years for master’s degree holders of training or experience in medical physics are required after receipt of the degree. Nuclear medicine physics is considered a branch of medical physics. This requirement can be met by a combination of NMPI and non-NMPI training or experience, such as diagnostic radiological physics.
Second, NMPI exam candidates must have one year for doctorate degree holders or 1.5 years for master’s degree holders of full-time-equivalent training or experience in nuclear medicine physics and instrumentation. This can coincide with the training experience used to meet the medical physics requirement.
Example 1: A person with a doctorate degree who has two years of full-time training or experience in NMPI will meet both requirements.
Example 2: A person with a doctorate degree who has one year of full-time training or experience in medical physics outside nuclear medicine and one year of full-time training or experience in NMPI will meet both requirements.
Example 3: A person with a doctorate degree who has two years of full-time training or experience in medical physics, of which 20% was in NMPI, will meet the medical physics requirement. This person has 0.40 full-time-equivalent years of training in NMPI and will need an additional 0.60 full-time-equivalent years of training or experience in NMPI.
Does time spent in a medical physics or nuclear medicine physics residency program count?
Yes. Time spent in a medical physics or nuclear medicine physics residency program, including a CAMPEP-approved program, may count as training or experience.
I worked as a nuclear medicine technologist before receiving my graduate degree. Can this count?
No. Only work experience after you received your graduate degree will count.
What counts as work experience for NMPI?
The NMPI exam qualifications require full-time-equivalent practical experience devoted to nuclear medicine physics and instrumentation. This is hands-on work experience, not self-study or online training.
The work experience must be as a physicist, not as a technologist or lab technician.
Does imaging physics or nuclear medicine physics residency count as NMPI work experience?
Yes, according to the length of time spent on NMPI. This would be 100% for a Nuclear Medicine Physics residency and the fraction of time devoted to NMPI for an Imaging Physics residency.
Does work as a nuclear medicine technologist after a master’s degree count toward NMPI requirements?
No. Your training or experience must be in the professional role of a medical physicist or nuclear medicine physicist.
What is meant by a supervisor with an established career in NMPI?
This is a pathway for an exam candidate to demonstrate practical experience in nuclear medicine physics and instrumentation in a research or development facility where the supervisor has an established career in nuclear medicine research or instrumentation.
This may be in an industrial or academic laboratory or in a research environment at an academic medical center.
The supervisor must submit his or her CV, resume, or other documentation with the attestation form that supports this established career qualification.
A supervisor who serves as a Radiation Safety Officer or Health Physicist and who does not have an established career in nuclear medicine research or instrumentation, or who does not supervise the candidate in a research or development laboratory, would not qualify.
Radiation Protection Questions
Does the supervisor attesting to my Radiation Protection experience have to meet any requirements?
There are no specific requirements. However, the qualifications of the supervisor must be given on the Letter of Reference / Attestation of Experience and Competency form.
Does work as a nuclear medicine technologist after a master’s degree in health physics count for Radiation Protection?
No. Your work experience must be in the professional role of a health physicist.
Other Specialty Exams
Why is there no information about Molecular Imaging or Radiopharmaceutical Science specialty exams?
These specialty exams have been discontinued and are no longer offered.
Examination Format and Protocol
Can you describe the exam format?
The General and Specialty exams are multiple choice. A time of 3.5 hours is allocated for the General exam in a morning session. After a break for lunch, the 2.5-hour Specialty exams are offered.
When are the exams offered?
The examinations will preferably be held in June or July of each year. Though typically the examination is held in conjunction with the SNMMI Annual Meeting in June, the date and location could be moved due to public health, other emergencies, or logistical factors.
Where is the exam offered?
The exam is generally offered at one of the conference hotels associated with the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Annual Meeting. The exam may be held at an alternate location due to public health, other emergencies, or logistical factors.
Can I take the ABSNM board exam at a testing center near me?
No. The exam must be taken in person.
Can I use my own calculator or the calculator on my cell phone during the exam?
No. You must use a physical TI-30XS calculator that will be provided by ABSNM at the exam site. There are no exceptions.
You are encouraged to practice with a TI-30XS calculator while preparing for the exam so that you are familiar with its operation.
Need Additional Help?
Candidates should review the Examinations and Certification page, Application Forms page, and Specialty Areas page before contacting ABSNM with application questions.