Certified!

Graduation, albeit it's a big accomplishment, it only gave me a false satisfaction. The root of my dissatisfaction: The Nuclear Medicine Certification Board (NMTCB). The NMTCB, the notorious five-letter abbreviation dreaded by every would-be certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist. It is so dreadful that a lot of technologists steer clear from it and, instead, favor the less prestigious American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) certification. Its reputation is so notorious that every time you mention of taking it, other technologists gives you their blessing -with a sympathetic filling- as if you've dug your own grave. But I took it and passed.

I took the exam this afternoon (June 15 2005), around 1:30 PM, at the District City Colleges of Chicago, which is just behind the Sears Tower. I left home early to avoid the anxiety of being late. I took the CTA Blue Line train, which was filled with Chicago Cubs fans, and Chicago Cubs female fans on sweat drenched tanktop shirts. I arrived at the test site around 11:30 AM, 2 hours prior to my test. Since I was too early, I grabbed a chair at the Sears' Skydeck Plaza, reviewed my notes, and took a gander at the sweat drenched ladies that were passing by infront of me until 1:00 PM.

I went inside the test center around 1:00 PM, and immediately took the test. The booth I was in was uncomfortably hot. I even have to turn off the fan because it was blowing warm air all over me. But as soon as I started the test, the uncomfortable warmth was all but forgotten as my nerves broke and my skin turned cold and clammy. The test wasn't easy. I was presented with confusing math problems, in which you need to pick the words apart in order to form the correct equation. The first 30% of the test alone took 50% of my time allowance. Though after the 40th question, although it's still hard, I was sailing a bit smoothly and was able to catch up with the time. At this point though, I never expected myself to pass or even finish 100 questions. But at the 80th question, the test stopped. I answered a couple of survey questions, and then the result of my test came up. I passed.

This time, I'm really satisfied and glad to see the result of my hardwork -and the sacrifice of my gaming/blogging time. Because passing the NMTCB was no small feat, I am proud of myself. But challenges are always abound, and my next ordeal is finidng/keeping a job.