Nurses Performing Ultrasound

[xtymae]

I want to know why nurses perform ultrasound? what factors do influences them to perform ultrasound in hospitals and clinics? i also want to know if it is legal for nurses to handle ultrasound procedures and do the scanning? what are the major reason why nurses are the one performing ultrasound examinations?

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

Nurses in my ER would insert IVs under ultrasound guidance. They were inserviced on that usage. Came in handy on those VERY hard to stick patients because it allows you to see veins much deeper than Vein Viewers.

[Julius Seizure]

Yes nurses do perform bladder scans--but MD's usually have to review before any intervention happens.

I've never had a doctor review a bladder scan before ordering an intervention. Generally they just say "scan their bladder", and then I let them know what the scan said they had in their bladder. If they had a large volume, the doctor might decide to write an order to straight cath them. But they've never wanted to review the test result.

[djh123]

No idea... we don't do them at my LTC facility. I did get to a bladder US as a student on a med-surge floor.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

I've never had a doctor review a bladder scan before ordering an intervention. Generally they just say "scan their bladder", and then I let them know what the scan said they had in their bladder. If they had a large volume, the doctor might decide to write an order to straight cath them. But they've never wanted to review the test result.

My error, we report to the MD the results of said scan, and they order or not order based on results. Meaning that an order is needed for an intervention.

[ScrappytheCoco]

I use ultrasounds to place PICCs and occasionally a peripheral IV, but I have training and certification for that.

[Graduatenurse14]

Where I worked as a nursing assistant, we bladder scanned and told the RN the amount who took it from there. Not sure if there were standing orders or they had to call the MD.

Where I work now as an RN, we bladder scan and most of the time on our post-ops there are orders to straight cath if the it's been so many hours and/or the amount of urine that was scanned for.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

We bladder scan all the time. The best is when a pt is "scanned" in the PACU and they say they are dry and then we scan them and the pt wants to know why we are scanning so low. There a some scanning at the umbilicus. Embarrassing to say the least-dangerous when the pt has a liter of urine that they have retained post-op

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Moved to Nursing in the Philippines

[MikeeMikes26]

In the hospital I work in, only Rad. Techs operate machines that involve Ultrasound, CT Scan, MRI and X-Ray procedures although we nurses accompany patients and take care of them pre, during and post the procedure. They are the only ones who are licensed to do it. Besides, I work in a local government hospital and nurses here already got tons of responsibilities to do. haha. Other than the fact it's clearly a case of malpractice and is therefore illegal, it has never been part of our training and should never be done by us, nurses. I hope PRC and BON find this out and hunt all those who are letting RNs do it.