Endoscopy RN...would you recommend it?

Stephani~First of all, congrats on finishing school! When I graduated from Nursing school I had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew more specialties that I didn't like, than I was interested in. My first job was on an Orthopedic floor, simply because I had interned on that floor and thought it would be the easiest place for me to transition to being an RN. I was right. There is so much to learn as a new Grad and I really feel I was a lot less stressed just by working with people I knew and being familiar with the layout of the hospital. After about a year in Ortho I decided to try Circulating in the OR. I was kind of fascinated by the technology. After 4 months I realized I missed having contact with conscious patients. I decided to try GI nursing. I can say, I have never felt more at home with GI nursing. You get to have the technology and the patient contact. Basically, I assist the GI docs with Upper Endoscopies, Colonoscopies, ERCP. I get to do the conscious sedation for the procedures and work prep and recovery. I get to start IV's, do lots of patient teaching, which I love. Best of all, I work in a hospital, but I really have almost clinic hours and work every 8th weekend on call and only 1 holiday per year. Good luck to you. If you have more questions please feel free to ask!

Kim

Hey, I just applied for a job as an endoscopy rn and found this thread! I would love hear more about the work in general.. amount of paperwork and such as compared to floor nursing!? I'm very excited and think it would be a good fit as I do love the OR setting .. and especially the hours =)

After 2 years in the ER I made the change to an endo clinic. I love it. We're just as busy we see an average of 20 patients per day and the hours are spectacular. In the ER I wo rked 3 12 hour days, weekends and holidays. Now I work 4 10 hour days with either friday or monday off and no weekends or holidays!
It is a lot of charting however, once you get it down its a breeze. Good Luck!

Another endoscopy question: I hope my posting is appropriate to this thread. I have been treated for about 2 years for AVM, or GAVE, (atrial ventral malformation, or gastric antral ventral ectasia) starting with 3 month interval cauteries of the blood vessels that come to the surface of my stomach, burst and bleed, causing severe anemia. It got to the point where I had a 6 month interval between the cautery endoscopies.

After a point in time, I began to awaken and feel pain during the procedure. To avoid having to give me more pain med, the dr added 50 mg IV Benadryl to the 50 Fentynal and 2 Versed. I felt a little twitch when I was given the Benydral but the nurse never said anything so I didn't think it was anything serious. However, on my last endoscopy, the doctor was on his way up the hall, and called to whoever was giving medications, "50,2,50." It is hard to see what is going on when the staff are there, not visible to you, doing other things. I did not know momentarily that the medication injection started when I started having breathing problems and s.o.b. When I told someone what was happening to me, the response was "you sats are 100% and bingo, I was gone. Dr. told me everything was fine with the procedure. So still feeling sedated, I did not get a chance to tell the Dr. what had happened. Did he walk away uninformed of the breathing problems I was having?

The next day, I called the Dr.s nurse and she said she would tell him about it. Next, I got a call from the Endoscopy manager and I told her what had happened to me. It was my understanding with the sedation, the Dr. should have been there to supervise whoever gave me the con sedation. Obviously, nothing was charted, according to the manager. So she agreed with me that I should ask the Dr. to give my sedation the rest of the times.

On my very last endoscopy, I did not see my Dr. anywhere until he appeared at the foot of the bed. He was rude and angry with me. I asked something about what had happened with my reaction to the Benydral. He very coldly told me "I don't know." Some one in the room said "you won't get Benadryl." There was such a cold attitude in the room. When I was recovered, I was still in the endo suite where a nurse that I had never seen, was there and was giving me oxygen. I just had the feeling that something was going on but no one would let me know what was happening.

And what makes you a criminal when you report what you experienced to the doctor. Of course, I didn't have a chance to do that. And with the "assembly line" medicine, you get little information. Just a few words and photo copy of the endoscopy.

My concern is not only that I had such a reaction to the IV Benydral, I have to have these cautery endoscopies for the rest of my life, and he has done an excellent job to get me to a 6-month interval.

I have tried to get another Dr. but in this hospital corporation, which is the largest hospital of the 3 in this city, I cannot get another GI dr. in this hospital corporation to treat me. Many drs outside of GI don't even know what the condition is. So I am afraid to go to another hospital corporation, not knowing what I will get. I feel very frightened about it, uncertainly about the secrecy and allowing me talk about my experience, while several staff stood around like witnesses.

When I got the info that I didn't need another endoscopy for 6 months, I was very happy about that and sent him a thank you note. I felt that I could have made a big deal about this, but I was greatful that I even had health care and a GI physician that was handling it so well. So, I just counted my blessings, and thought he had learned his lesson.

I feel like I am in a catch-22 position. But I become more concerned and angry about the way I was treated. If I tried to find out what was documented, all &^_* would break loose. I would probably never be able to get another doctor. What about my safety? Is that less important than any problem it causes him?

I have a desire to see what they documented, but I know that asking for my records would cause a lot of trouble, but I don't want to die to save a dr.s reputation.

I hear all the time, "find another doctor." This is not so simple with the all powerful corporate hospitals.

I would appreciate any thoughts you may have about this.

Thank you all.