Nuclear medicine technologists typically do the following: Explain medical procedures to the patient and answer questions Follow safety procedures to protect themselves and the patient from unnecessary radiation exposure Prepare radioactive drugs and administer them to the patient Maintain and operate imaging equipment Keep detailed records of procedures Follow procedures for radiation disposal Nuclear medicine technologists work with radioactive drugs, known as radiopharmaceuticals, to help physicians and surgeons diagnose a patient's condition. For example, they may inject radiopharmaceuticals into the bloodstream of a patient with foot pain and then use special scanning equipment that captures images of the bones; a radiologist interprets the scan results, based on the concentration of radioactivity appearing in the image, to identify the source of the patient's pain.