§ 61-14E-4 — Definitions

As used in the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act: A. "advisory council" means the medical imaging and radiation therapy advisory council; B. "board" means the environmental improvement board; C. "certificate of limited practice" means a certificate issued pursuant to the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act to persons who perform restricted diagnostic radiography under direct supervision of a licensed practitioner limited to the following specific procedures: (1) the viscera of the thorax; (2) extremities; (3) radiation to humans for diagnostic purposes in the practice of dentistry; (4) axial/appendicular skeleton; or (5) the foot, ankle or lower leg; D. "certified nurse practitioner" means a person licensed pursuant to Section 61-3- 23.2 NMSA 1978; E. "credential" or "certification" means the recognition awarded to an individual who meets the requirements of a credentialing or certification organization; F. "credentialing organization" or "certification organization" means a nationally recognized organization recognized by the board that issues credentials or certification through testing or evaluations that determine whether an individual meets defined standards for training and competence in a medical imaging modality; G. "department" means the department of environment; H. "diagnostic medical sonographer" means a person, including a vascular technologist or echocardiographer, other than a licensed practitioner, who provides patient care services using ultrasound; I. "division" means the environmental health bureau of the field operations and infrastructure division of the department; J. "ionizing radiation" means alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, x-rays, neutrons, high-speed electrons, high-speed protons and other particles capable of producing ions; "ionizing radiation" does not include non-ionizing radiation, such as sound waves, radio waves or microwaves, or visible, infrared or ultraviolet light; K. "license" means a document issued by the department pursuant to the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act to an individual who has met the requirements of licensure; L. "licensed practitioner" means a person licensed to practice medicine, dentistry, podiatry, chiropractic or osteopathy in this state; M. "licensure" means a grant of authority through a license or limited license to perform specific medical imaging and radiation therapy services pursuant to the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act; N. "magnetic resonance technologist" means a person other than a licensed practitioner who performs magnetic resonance procedures under the supervision of a licensed practitioner using magnetic fields and radio frequency signals; O. "medical imaging" means the use of substances or equipment emitting ionizing or non-ionizing radiation on humans for diagnostic or interventional purposes; P. "medical imaging modality" means: (1) diagnostic medical sonography and all of its subspecialties; (2) magnetic resonance imaging and all of its subspecialties; (3) nuclear medicine technology and all of its subspecialties; (4) radiation therapy and all of its subspecialties; and (5) radiography and all of its subspecialties; Q. "medical imaging professional" means a person who is a magnetic resonance technologist, radiographer, nuclear medicine technologist or diagnostic medical sonographer and who is licensed pursuant to the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act; R. "non-ionizing radiation" means the static and time-varying electric and magnetic fields and radio frequency, including microwave radiation and ultrasound; S. "nuclear medicine technologist" means a person other than a licensed practitioner who applies radiopharmaceutical agents to humans for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes under the direction of a licensed practitioner; T. "physician assistant" means a person licensed pursuant to Section 61-6-7 or 61- 10A-4 NMSA 1978 [repealed]; U. "radiation therapy" means the application of ionizing radiation to humans for therapeutic purposes; V. "radiation therapy technologist" means a person other than a licensed practitioner whose application of radiation to humans is for therapeutic purposes; W. "radiographer" means a person other than a licensed practitioner whose application of radiation to humans is for diagnostic purposes; X. "radiography" means the application of radiation to humans for diagnostic purposes, including adjustment or manipulation of x-ray systems and accessories, including image receptors, positioning of patients, processing of films and any other action that materially affects the radiation dose to patients; Y. "radiologist" means a licensed practitioner certified by the American board of radiology, the British royal college of radiology, the American osteopathic board of radiology or the American chiropractic board of radiology; and Z. "radiologist assistant" means an individual licensed as a radiographer as defined in the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act who holds additional certification as a registered radiologist assistant by the American registry of radiologic technologists and who works under the supervision of a radiologist; provided that a radiologist assistant shall not interpret images, render diagnoses or prescribe medications or therapies."

Legislative History

Laws 1983, ch. 317, § 4; 1991, ch. 14, § 1; 1993, ch. 140, § 1; 1994, ch. 82, §