radiology nurse? im need of some enlightenment

I just did a site search using the words "radiology nurse duties" and came up with many links to threads discussing this very question.
Three of them are:

allnurses.com/forums/f109/radiology-tech-vs-radiology-nurse-161941.html

allnurses.com/forums/f109/radiology-nurse-question-35985.html

allnurses.com/forums/f8/what-exactly-does-radiology-nurse-do-227121.html


Good luck!

I have been a pediatric radiology nurse for 6 year. Depending on where you work, it can involve sedation (which is mostly what I do). There are some nurses that work in Interventional radiology which is more like OR procedures with sterile fields and handing instuments while using fluoroscopy or ultrasound. From a sedation standpoint, the nurse and physician do a presedation history and physical, I draw up the sedation drugs and start the IV, prepare the room with bag/mask/suction, participate with getting the child sedated and on the mri/ct scanner and monitor vs throughout the scan. I also recover the patient and then discharge them or return inpatients to their rooms. I like it because it's fast paced and always different. As with most units, we do get "frequent fliers" that you get to know well and grow close to. I would definitly reccommend it!!

I started in Radiology Nursing about 8 years ago and have gone worked from staff nurse to supervisor and now am the Nurse Manager of Imaging Services.

There are a couple of considerations that you should make before you jump into this arena of Nursing:

While most people would not consider Radiology nursing all that challenging or requiring expertise, I would beg to differ. Radiology Nurses must have excellent critical thinking skills, decisive judgment and unmatched assessment skills as they are often the first responders to any emergency occurring in the Radiology department. These emergencies can range from Severe Allergic reactions, complications of sedation and the most challenging the patient that "crumps" while in the radiology department that have originated from the ED, nursing units or an Outpatient that has no documented health history to work from.

Also you should consider that working in a Radiology department is a completely different atmosphere as traditional nursing units. When interviewing nurses for our department I explain that all members of the Multidisciplinary team are required to be able to provide safe, diagnostic patient focused care. The technologist main focus/training is to obtain the highest quality diagnostic images, while the nurses are focus is to provide the safest, high quality continuum of care for that patient while in our department. Each are equally important to achieving our departmental goals.

I think you might find the following links helpful as you make you decision:

http://www.acr.org/ this link provides standards of practice in the various modalities of Radiology.

https://www.arinursing.org/ This is the National Association of Radiology Nurses and there is a great deal of information and support that you might find helpful if you choose to join our profession.

Although Radiology nursing has it's challenges, I find the blend of advanced technology and caring (*nursing) a very fulfilling career.

*I had a nursing professor that was an excellent teacher that drove home the importance and differentiation of nursing and medicine as that Physicians focus on CURING while nurses focus is on CARING.

Good Luck!
arnfinally

I am a ED RN looking to make a change. I saw job opportunities for radiology nursing and it sounds very exciting and like something that I may really be interested in. The only problem is I have a pacemaker. Any idea if this would make me unemployable as a radiology nurse?

To Sugar383,
Yes, as a radiology nurses you may be required to be involved with MRI patients having a pacemaker would make you inelligable for that modality, however, there are many other areas of Radiology you would be able to work in.
I absolutely agree with arnfinally. Nurses in radiology are the "go to" folks for all modalites, nurses are the core to helping the department function with patient care and safety in mind. Most all of the 23 nurses who work in my department have critical care background. The combination of constantly changing technology and the application of nursing care is interesting, stimulating and rewarding.

ITA, Radnurse54. "Interesting, stimulating and rewarding."

sure, how can I help you?

I work in IR and heres what my job entails.....
Traffic controll between the floors, icu's,mds and ANes when we use them.
Look out for Pt saftey at all times allergies getting on and off table safley.
Sedation - keeping them comfortable durring procedure - alot of calling reports to floors explaining what we did.
Alot of Moving pts
Cleaning sumtimes i feel like a janitor
Helping getting sterile trays ready - stockin rooms with suplies
Its not ur regular nursing duties its very unique