Nuclear Medicine Residency
Positions per Year: 2
Educational Objective: The Residency in Nuclear Medicine provides the knowledge
and skills necessary for a physician to be proficient in all aspects of nuclear medicine.
The three-year program includes training in radionuclide therapy, in vitro and in vivo
nuclear medicine laboratory procedures, as well as all phases of modern nuclear medicine
imaging. Completion of the program will qualify the physician for examination by the
American Board of Nuclear Medicine.
Program Outline: The three-year training period is spent learning basic nuclear medicine
science as well as clinical nuclear medicine. Didactic lectures in nuclear physics, radiation
biology, radiation protection, instrumentation, computer methodology, laboratory procedures,
and radiopharmacy are given. The resident attends and participates in the weekly clinical
tutorials and other general and specialized case conferences which occur several times per
week. The resident will learn radiopharmacy, nuclear medicine technology, bone mineral
analysis, radiation protection, and advanced computer skills. Two months will be spent at
Children's Hospital.. Residents are encouraged to participate in either clinical or basic
science research projects.
Residents will spend a large portion of their three-year training period in the clinical lab of
Froedtert Hospital, and the Zablocki VA Medical Center. During this time, they will monitor
and interpret patient studies. In addition, residents will learn the appropriate role of nuclear
medicine relative to other imaging modalities such as computed tomography, ultrasound, and
magnetic resonance. The two main laboratories possess state-of-the-art SPECT gamma
cameras. There are six SPECT cameras at Froedtert Hospital including a combined
SPECT/CT scanner. A PET/CT Scanner is used to perform daily studies at Froedtert
Hospital while a mobile PET/Scanner is utilized 1-2 days per week at the Veterans
Administration Medical Center.
Nuclear Medicine physicians at the Medical College of Wisconsin are well known for their
work in bone and brain imaging. Residents spending time at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
not only learn pediatric nuclear medicine in one of the busiest departments in the country,
but are also able to see how these studies are correlated with other radiographic modalities.