Duties of a Radiology Nurse

[Mary3010]

For instance, would you be involved in helping to perform/interpret/read scans such as U/S, X-rays, CT, ECG, MRI etc. Maybe as an NP you could give referrals to scans or be part of diagnosing a broken bone for instance.

[dianah, ASN]

In any imaging department, the Radiologic Technologists are the ones who procure/obtain whatever images are needed: US, Nuclear Medicine, Diagnostic X-rays, Interventional Imaging.

The Radiologists are the ones who "read" and interpret the images and prepare a formal report.  They also perform any Interventional procedures.

RNs in Radiology/Imaging Departments assist with some exams.  They may start IVs and inject contrast agents (with a Radiologist present in the department.  They may help set up and assist with Interventional Radiologic procedures.  Assisting with procedures, however, will most often entail administering moderate sedation to patients, and monitoring the patients during the procedures. 

RNs may be responsible for daily crash cart checks and narcotics counts.  They may educate patients pre- and post-procedure (we devised our own educational sheets, so patients would have something in-hand to refer to re: what to expect before and after, and what number to call if A, B, or C are noted).

I hope this is helpful! ?

[Mary3010]

Thank you! Would you as a nurse be able to view or understand the scans that are performed or even perform something like an ultrasound (regardless of whether you work in radiology)?

[dianah, ASN]

In the 20 years I worked in Radiology, I never did a scan myself.  I left it to the experts, as there is a lot to learn about how to properly scan or x-ray a patient.  I did learn, and was taught, some things to look for when viewing a CXR (chest x-ray), for example.  Or some highlights of a CT of the abdomen and pelvis.  Or, angiogram results.  There is an immense amount of training the Radiologist undergoes in order to "read" the images.  Likewise, the technologists are well-trained in A&P, the physics of radiology imaging, patient positioning, etc.  In our facility it was a 2-year program.

Performing exams/procedures and reading the images and preparing the reports are not within the RN's scope of practice.  Perhaps that will change in the future, and specialty NPs will be trained. 

[Mary3010]

Thanks for the information! From my understanding then, is this correct:

*A radiology nurse does stereotypical nursing duties relating to the scans being performed e.g. inserting an IV contrast for a CT scan, checking vital signs if needed etc.

*You won't perform U/S, X-rays, CT, ECG, MRI etc- though I wonder if you could perform even a simple ultrasound and ECG as a nurse e.g. in radiology, ED etc. The medical technologist (sonographer etc) will perform the tests and the radiologist doctor will read/interpret the findings.

*You will learn about the different scans and basic interpretation of the results (from working in the job) but anything more and you will need an additional degree on top of nursing.

[dianah, ASN]

Yes, that is pretty correct.

[Mary3010]

What types of ultrasounds could you perform in nursing? (or other scans).

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Mary3010 said:

What types of ultrasounds could you perform in nursing? (or other scans).

Few, if any. There are entire educational programs dedicated to disciplines that do the scans. They are separate from nursing. Heck, I'm not even allowed to push the button on an x-ray machine at the direction of a surgeon in the middle of an ORIF in the OR. I don't have the training, knowledge, and competency to know what I'm doing with that machine.

Here are the programs related to imaging offered at a local health college:

• Cardiac sonography
• diagnostic medical sonography
• nuclear medicine technology
• radiography
• vascular sonography

None of these programs make students eligible for a nursing degree, nor is the content included within the nursing program.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

Sometimes in other nursing specialties, there are interesting ways that nurses work with imaging.

Some nurses, for example, are trained to use ultrasound technology to facilitate placement of an IV line. It's the exception, not the rule, and it all depends on the nurse's employer, unit, and nursing role. And even those rare nurses are not credentialed to perform ultrasounds for other purposes such as ruling out blood clots.

In my role as a bedside neonatal ICU nurse, I'm expected to go into the computer and pull up my patient's chest X-ray image and then collaborate with the respiratory therapist to make sure that the patient's endotracheal tube (breathing tube) is located at the appropriate depth in the airway. I'm not qualified to use that image for other purposes, so the X-ray will be reviewed later by a radiologist and the patient's physician. (But an experienced nurse can often recognize certain obvious things like a collapsed lung and that can help them anticipate what the physician is going to ask for next.)

Like others have said, as far as actually taking the X-ray, we don't do that. When the radiology tech comes to take the X-ray, my nursing responsibilities are to continue to monitor the baby, to make sure that they are lying in bed straight so we get a good X-ray image, and to move certain wires (like EKG leads) so they are not running across the patient's body. This can be very important, as a rotated chest X-ray can make the patient's heart look bigger than it really is.  

[Mary3010]

Rose Queen - So basically you can do the scans as a nurse if you have extra training in doing them? Otherwise, you would be limited to only performing ECG and basic ultrasounds e.g. of a fetus etc? 

Eric - That's interesting! Would you have to report to the radiologist anything that you can see in a scan or is it just something that you can just read? 

 

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

No, those are completely separate professions and education. It is not the role of a nurse. 

[Mary3010]

Thanks for your help Rose! You mentioned before that there are few scans that a nurse can do. What would those be then? I am assuming ones such as those in https://www.ultrasoundtraining.com.au/nurses-midwives/  

 

Also, is a sonogram nurse the same as a radiology nurse? It mentions the name here https://www.ultrasoundportables.com/ultrasound-latest-news/what-do-sonogram-nurses-do I have never heard of one before