Nuclear medicine in South Africa is practised by nuclear medicine radiographers, who qualify through a radiography degree in the nuclear medicine stream, and by nuclear medicine physicians, who are medical doctors who have specialised. The two routes are entirely different.
Establish which you mean before applying. The radiography route is a four-year undergraduate degree; the physician route requires a medical degree followed by specialist training, taking well over a decade in total.
Entry Requirements at a Glance
Applications are generally assessed on the following.
- For the radiography route: a bachelor pass with Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences
- A high institution points score, since radiography is heavily oversubscribed
- Selection of the nuclear medicine stream, commonly chosen at application
- Health screening and a police clearance certificate, because of clinical placement
- Registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa in the relevant category
- For the physician route: a medical degree, internship, community service and specialist training
Academic and Minimum Admission Requirements
The radiography degree runs four years and is offered in streams including diagnostic, therapeutic, nuclear medicine and ultrasound. The stream is generally chosen when you apply rather than later, and the streams have separate intakes.
Nuclear medicine involves administering radioactive tracers, so radiation protection and dosimetry form a substantial part of the training, and regulatory requirements apply to practice. Registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa is required before you may practise, and only an accredited or recognised qualification leads to registration.
Subjects, APS and Qualification Requirements
Physical Sciences is essential, given the radiation physics and dosimetry content. Mathematics is required at all institutions offering radiography, and Mathematical Literacy is not accepted.
Life Sciences supports the anatomy and physiology content and is required or strongly preferred almost everywhere.
Documents and Application Requirements
Applications normally require the following.
- A certified copy of your identity document
- Your National Senior Certificate or latest statement of results
- Proof of the application fee, where one is charged
- Your final matric results, used to confirm any conditional offer
- A medical or health screening report and a police clearance certificate
Selection, Intake and Eligibility Considerations
Intakes are small because students must be placed in accredited nuclear medicine departments, of which there are relatively few. That makes the stream more constrained than diagnostic radiography.
Confirm which institutions currently offer the nuclear medicine stream before planning around it, since not every radiography programme includes it. Registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa is required before you may practise, and only an accredited or recognised qualification leads to registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a nuclear medicine radiographer and physician?
The radiographer qualifies through a four-year radiography degree. The physician is a medical doctor who has completed specialist training, taking well over a decade.
Do I need Physical Sciences?
Yes, essential for the radiation physics and dosimetry content. Mathematics is also required.
Do all institutions offer the nuclear medicine stream?
No. Confirm which currently offer it before planning around it.
Why are places so limited?
Students must be placed in accredited nuclear medicine departments, of which there are relatively few.
Registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa is required before you may practise, and only an accredited or recognised qualification leads to registration. Confirm which institutions offer the stream and their requirements directly. See radiography requirements. See admission requirements and browse all education requirements.