Can a pregnant woman be a rad nurse?

Editorial Team / Admin · Apr 4, 2005

Your facility should have policies and procedures in place to protect you and your child. In my case, I worked during two pregnancies. As soon as I knew I was pregnant, the chief tech shared some safety articles w/me, then had me sign that I'd been shown them. I stayed out of the fluoro rooms the first trimester, but I could set up, etc -- just stayed completely out of the rooms to avoid stray rays :). The last two trimesters I wore double lead (we tested one of the aprons, too, by putting a radiation badge under it for a month, to see what the reading would be. It was ZERO rem), but I still ran out of the room when warned they were about to fluoro. If I did happen to be in the room when the pedal was hit, I didn't feel in danger because I had the two aprons on (a wrap-around would have sufficed). I carried my kids to term and they were born healthy (one at 9# 4 oz, one at 8# 12 oz, and I'm 5'2"!!!).

Again, I suggest you check the department policies, and also you might question, for example, the RN in charge or the Chief Tech, "what happens if someone is pregnant while working here in the dept?"

My friends covered call for me the last month or so of my pregnancies, and I stayed home for 8 weeks after delivery.

PM if you have any other questions. I don't have a website that would help, but you might do a google or yahoo search, and see what that turns up. Good luck! --D

Beachbum · Apr 5, 2005

I agree with Dianah check with the hospital policy, The same precautions that go toward the Radiology techs. go for you also. You will be wearing radiation badges, and you should have one that goes around your stomach area. Going into Rad nursing, radiation safety is a topic you need to be educated in. Get with one of the Rad techs and use there textbooks to get information. Also check ou the arna website.