2009 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 61 - Professional and Occupational Licenses.
Article 14E - Medical Radiation Health and Safety
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.