Section 61-14E-4 - Definitions.
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 division of the department of environment;
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 optical radiations, including ultraviolet, visible, infrared and lasers, 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;
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.