Salary Range

• Nuclear pharmacists have a median annual salary of $112,381 as of March 2011, according to Salary.com. The middle 50 percent of these pharmacists on the earnings scale make $104,094 to $125,921 per year. The top 10 percent have annual pay rates of $138,249, and only the bottom 10 percent are making $96,549 per year and less.
  
  

Geography

• Salaries for nuclear pharmacists vary a great deal by geography. Nuclear pharmacists in Pierre, South Dakota, for instance, have an annual median salary of $99,626, ranking them in the bottom 25 percent nationwide. Nuclear pharmacists in Binghamton, New York, have a median annual salary of $106,785; in Birmingham, Alabama, $107,611; in Jacksonville, Florida, $109,306; in Cleveland, Ohio, $112,139; in Dallas, Texas, $114,089, in Modesto, California, $116,281; and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, $120,001.
  
  

Types of Employment and Benefits

• Nuclear pharmacists work in many types of employment, as detailed by the Society of Nuclear Medicine, better known as SNM. They find positions in hospitals, nuclear pharmacies, industry, academic institutions, private research organizations and with government agencies. Job listings for nuclear pharmacists published on the website Indeed.com in 2011 show salary offerings of $90,000 to $110,000 per year. Examples of benefits from different employers include medical, dental and vision insurance coverage, along with a company-matched 401(k) savings plan, paid time off, flexible scheduling, a $1,000 referral bonus, relocation assistance and discounts at retail stores.
  
  

Requirements

• Like all pharmacists, nuclear pharmacists must complete doctorate degree in pharmacy, but they also need extensive additional training in nuclear pharmacy. They become proficient in the areas of radiation safety and in compounding and preparing radioactive pharmaceuticals, explains the Purdue University website. All pharmacists must hold a license to practice in the state where they work.