§ 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

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;

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.