AOBNM Nuclear Medicine study guide
AOBNM Nuclear Medicine · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The American Osteopathic Board of Nuclear Medicine (AOBNM) is an AOA certifying board for osteopathic physicians who practice nuclear medicine. This page is an independent study resource for candidates preparing for AOBNM board certification; it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the AOA or AOBNM. Because the AOA board page for AOBNM returned a "Page not found" error on retrieval (2026-10-31), verified exam parameters - item count, time limit, passing score, fee, retake policy, and validity period - are not published here and are marked for review. Preparation should therefore be built around the two competency areas that structure osteopathic nuclear medicine practice: general nuclear medicine (radiopharmaceuticals, instrumentation and quality control, radiation safety, diagnostic and therapeutic applications across organ systems, and image interpretation) and osteopathic principles and practice (somatic dysfunction, structural examination, and the integration of osteopathic manipulative treatment into patient-centered care). Topics on this exam: Nuclear Medicine (general) and Osteopathic Principles and Practice. The AOBNM Nuclear Medicine study guide has 2 sections and about 629 words.
01Nuclear Medicine: Core Physics, Radiopharmaceuticals, and Diagnostic Reasoning
Build your review around four pillars: (1) radionuclide production and decay, (2) detection and instrumentation, (3) biodistribution and dosimetry, and (4) organ-system pattern recognition. Understand that most clinically used isotopes are generator-produced (Mo-99/Tc-99m) or cyclotron-produced (F-18, Ga-68, I-123), and that photon energy, physical half-life, and emission type dictate which detector and collimator are appropriate. Know that Tc-99m emits a 140 keV gamma ray with a 6-hour half-life, while positron emitters are detected by coincidence of paired 511 keV annihilation photons. Differentiate planar scintigraphy, SPECT, and PET in terms of spatial resolution, attenuation correction, and typical indications.
313 words, about 2 min02Osteopathic Principles Applied to Nuclear Medicine Practice
Osteopathic principles frame the patient as a unit of body, mind, and spirit whose structure and function are reciprocally interrelated. In nuclear medicine, this translates into reading functional imaging in the context of the whole patient: a bone scan hotspot is a structural-functional signal, not an isolated lesion. Candidates should be able to articulate how somatic dysfunction, lymphatic and circulatory flow, and autonomic tone influence how a patient tolerates and responds to imaging and treatment. Understand the four tenets as they apply to diagnostic reasoning: the body is self-regulating and self-healing; structure and function are interrelated; rational treatment rests on these principles; and treatment considers the whole person.
316 words, about 2 min