New Med/Surg RN capable of GI nsg?

Specialties Gastroenterology

Published

Hey GI nurses!

I'm a new grad RN who has been working med/surg for about 7 months now. Last year after graduation I looked into working at a local GI center but they did not have any openings. An RN who was working there told me to get some experience and she'll be sure to call me when there's an opening. Well, I got a call two days ago announcing the opening of a part-time RN position at their center. I was so excited. I do 12 hour shifts at my med/surg job, so a part-time position at the GI center would be perfect for me. So I went forward and turned in my resume and I met a couple RNs there. The RNs were very supportive and had nice things to say about their center and they both showed interest in me possibly joining their team. However, when I spoke to the HR lady she told me I am a new nurse and she'd be a bit uncomfortable hiring someone so new with just a few months experience. She said she'll talk to the rest of their team and they're planning to make their decision next week.

As an RN at their center I will not assist in the procedures. I will admit the patient, start IVs, and do some pre-op education stuff. Then monitor them post-op and send them home.

I am truly interested in becoming a GI RN. My question is, is it possible for me to be successful in this nursing specialty with just a few months experience? I am hoping to hear from them and I want to be able to live up to the expectations they have for me. Any comments or input would be greatly appreciated!

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What you are actually talking about doing is being a pre-procedure nurse, same thing that is done in out-patient surgery, etc. Who administers the drugs during the procedure? Who circulates during the procedure? For either of those positions, you should be ACLS certified.

Will they eventually train you to work in the procedure room? Who does the recovery time?

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What you are actually talking about doing is being a pre-procedure nurse, same thing that is done in out-patient surgery, etc. Who administers the drugs during the procedure? Who circulates during the procedure? For either of those positions, you should be ACLS certified.

Will they eventually train you to work in the procedure room? Who does the recovery time?

Hey, thanks for the quick reply. I was told by the RNs that I will not administer meds during the procedure and I will not circulate because the docs have their own nurses who circulate during procedures. Those nurses are ACLS certified. Unfortunately I am not ACLS certified but I will be next month. The RNs told me that most patients recover for about 30-45 minutes, max 1 hour.

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I went into GI procedures as a New Grad, so I don't see why you couldn't be successful.

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Hey, thanks for the quick reply. I was told by the RNs that I will not administer meds during the procedure and I will not circulate because the docs have their own nurses who circulate during procedures. Those nurses are ACLS certified. Unfortunately I am not ACLS certified but I will be next month. The RNs told me that most patients recover for about 30-45 minutes, max 1 hour.

Then you should have no problem with a position like that. Good luck to you.

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