[calicamper]

I've seen a couple of times at my hospital the RN be in the CT scanner room with the pt while pt was being scanned.

As I understand it, a CT scan is the equivalent of 300 chest xrays and a CT scan for pulmonary embolism is the equivalent of 50 mammograms. (This is what a radiologist told me). She told me also that no radiologist or MD would go into a CT scanner room with a patient in their right mind...while the pt was being scanned, that is).

What do you see at your hospital? Is there a double standard for nurses? (That is....we're doing something that most physicians absolutely wouldn't do?)

Cali

[TazziRN]

Not true, in terms of staff going in with the pt. ER and ICU nurses often accompany pts to the scanner, and most of the time I am in the computer room with the tech. The monitors are turned so I can see them. If the pts is critical enough that I or RT needs to be at the pt's side, we wear lead aprons. I have seen docs in the scanner with pts also, with aprons on.

Now.....it would optimal if we didn't go in the scanner with the pt because of the rays, but if the pt absolutely needs someone, who better than the nurse? We are the ones who do the hands-on care, so it makes sense that the nurses would be in there more than docs or anyone else.

[jer_sd]

If a rn needs to stay in the ct room during a scan. it does happen. use basic principles of radiation saftey; time, distance and shielding.minimize your time exposed to xrayswear lead shieldingstay as far away from the scanner as possible. if you are 4 feet from the scanner you receive 1/16 the radiation dose, 6 feet from the scanner 1/36 of the dose, 10 feet from the scanner 1/100 of the dose.

[BJLynn]

Originally Posted by calicamper

What do you see at your hospital? Is there a double standard for nurses? (That is....we're doing something that most physicians absolutely wouldn't do?)

I don't work in a hospital, but I can tell you what I have seen when taking my daughter in for her CTs (she has eplilepsy and 4 small areas of scar tissue on her brain...so CT or MRI yearly). There were two nurses, one Dr. (PICU doc), an aid whose sole role was entertaining my child (not hard with Versed on board), and me. We were all in knee to thyroid lead wrap around aprons. This doc said he actually preferred to be in the room with is peds patients getting scanned.

This may just be a pediatric doc thing.

[PamperedRN]

If the pt is from a unit at our hospital a nurse must go with the pt. I usually wait in the tech room with the monitor facing towards me. If one needs to at the pt side, we use lead aprons to shield ourselves. I have seen nurses, docs, rt, techs in with the pt but they always have lead on.

[CritterLover]

Agree with what everyone else has said. I've worked both ICU and ER, and in each setting have accompanied patients to CT.

Usually, I will stay in the control room with the techs with the monitor visable, but sometimes you just have to be at the patient's side.

Last week, I took someone else's very confused patient to CT for a head scan. Every 30 sec (or so), he would sit up and ask "Where am I? How did I get here?" So, rather than taping him down from head to toe, we just taped his head down and I put on a lead apron and stayed next to him. No big deal.

How does she think CT guided biopsies are done?

[kframe]

Well, for one thing, the energy being emitted is focused energy (meaning it's not just splashed around the room), and two, I would think any attendant would wear some sort of lead apron.

At least, that's what the xtex at my hospital have told me.
-K