DISTANCE LEARNING OPTIONS FOR NMT

The University System of Georgia Board of Regents has approved the distant delivery of the NMT programs via multiple instructional formats to Atlanta, Georgia in addition to the resident campus programs in Augusta.  Several clinical sites have been identified as practice settings to allow for flexibility and convenience close to home. 

■ All candidates must meet the same entrance requirements as Augusta students, and total program capacity is limited to twenty-five (25) students in the state of Georgia.  You are encouraged to contact approved clinical sites to ask about program logistics, requirements, and personal feasibility.  The students and staff at these sites will be happy to put you in contact with admissions counselors who can assist your with prerequisite requirements and the application process.

■ All students (including students on campus in Augusta) will need to be proficient with the use of the computer as much of the didactic learning requires online research, case study review and analysis, and collaborative communication and discussion.

■ The program is flexible to meet the needs of those students who must maintain employment, but full time employment is discouraged as it is generally difficult to achieve success under program time requirements.  Students who have attempted the job and school juggling strongly recommend against it, and suggest that an employment load greater than 16 hours a week is far too intense to maintain success within the Nuclear Medicine Technology class and clinical requirement.  We encourage you to pursue the distance NMT program if you feel that you might be able to arrange your schedule to meet us half way!

DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENT FACULTY SUPPORT

■ The MCG NMT Program employs a full-time faculty member in Atlanta who oversees specific distance student learning needs and maintains efficient and frequent contact with Augusta Campus direction.  Students from Athens, Columbus, and Atlanta come to the Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) in Lawrenceville, GA on a weekly basis for scheduled tutorials and advisement to supplement their online lecture materials.  Distance students also have high levels of interaction and access to primary program faculty via email and online discussion forums.

 
INSTRUCTIONAL FORMATS

■ Traditional Classroom Lecture via Tegrity.  This cutting edge technology allows flexible delivery of the traditional classroom experience to fit your busy lifestyle needs.   You'll either sit in a traditional classroom at a scheduled time and interact with classmates and faculty in Columbus, Athens, Atlanta, and Augusta, or access the lectures from the comfort of your own home via the internet with 24-7 access to program faculty for clarification of teaching points. 

■ Web-Based Online Learning and Research.  The MCG NMT Program has developed one of the most robust and comprehensive online instructional resources available for technologist education.  All lecture materials, professional networking forums, and faculty and classmate communication is available from any internet connected computer.  This NMT Instructional Portal offers online testing throughout the course of the programs, and access to certification examination practice questions upon graduation.  The WebCT format is familiar to most students who have attended University System of Georgia institutions.  Because much of the coursework requires online research and web-based assignments, a personal computer with a fast internet connection(56K, DSL or Cable) is MANDATORY. 

■ Success in the NMT program, whether you are a distant student or on the MCG campus is dependent on daily interface with online materials and communication tools.  All geographic locations provide a local access to a computer, but students at a home computer with high levels of function provides a far more efficient and flexible access to course materials and time requirements. In addition to these hardware and software requirements, your computer must be able to handle high end video and audio files of our Tegrity Web Learner system.

CLINICAL ROTATIONS

■ We attempt to provide a varied and comprehensive clinical experience to maximize the entry-level skills needed to begin NMT practice upon graduation.  Students are expected to complete a minimum of 20-30 hours of hands on clinical experience each week over the course of the program, to be eligible to sit for national credentialing examinations.  All clinical sites have received clinical affiliation approval from the Joint Review Committee on Nuclear Medicine Technology Programs (JRCNMT), and provide supervised learning by experienced and credentialed practitioners in the profession.  Clinical attendance is mandatory and is monitored via a time and attendance system.

  
DEMO DAYS

■ All students must attend the four-day orientation in Augusta at the start of each year.  Additional on campus seminars are conducted two to three times during each semester,  and faculty visit all clinical sites during each  semester.  Despite the "distance" aspects of the programs, class cohesiveness is high, and is maintained by on campus meetings during which all students and faculty work closely to clarify muddy information, do procedural simulation, testing, and competency evaluation.  Social events during demo days, and online email among students in all locations creates fellowship that lasts long after graduation.

CASE STUDIES

■ Student technologists work with clinical staff and faculty to develop patient case studies to integrate classroom learning with clinical practice.  Recent graduates have indicated that these projects are most helpful in making the information stick and providing a meaningful frame of reference for application of knowledge.  These cases are formatted and contained in our Collaborative Case Studies teaching files.

GUIDED CLINICAL ASSIGNMENTS

■ Laboratory assignments are frequently conducted within the familiar clinical setting using equipment with which students have developed comfort during their regular practicum experience.  These are highly participatory projects that are facilitated by clinical personnel, but based on discovery of information through action rather than by direct demonstration or lecture.  These assignments have, along with the student-centered learning model, form the foundation of the NMT program instructional philosophy. 

■ Am I ready for distance learning? 

■ Can the program adjust to my personal lifestyle and work schedule?

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