Interventional Radiology considered critical care experience?

Nursing Students SRNA

Published

I was looking into CRNA school and it mentions having critical care experience. I currently work in Interventional Radiology and prior worked in Outpatient Surgery as circulator and PACU. I wasn't sure if all of those counted as "critical care" experience. Although in Interventional Radiology we do deal with moderate sedation, tPA, nitro and heparin drips, and pts on ventilators but I know we only have them a limited time. Any thoughts?

I don't think this counts. PACU only sometimes counts. Contact the schools you are interested in. My school would not consider this ICU.

Specializes in Nurse Anesthesiology.

No its not the same at all and will not count

In my experience, that would not count as critical care.

Specializes in Anesthesia.

It is ultimately up to each individual NA program to decide how they will define critical care experience.

For the CCRN exam it counts. For CRNA or ACNP schools it doesn't. My ACNP program didn't count my IR experience - they only looked at my ICU experience. The local CRNA programs are the same. You need bedside ICU experience. Vents, invasive monitoring, vasoactive drips, and super sick patients. Yes, we do this in IR. But not full-time.

Specializes in Anesthesia.
For the CCRN exam it counts. For CRNA or ACNP schools it doesn't. My ACNP program didn't count my IR experience - they only looked at my ICU experience. The local CRNA programs are the same. You need bedside ICU experience. Vents, invasive monitoring, vasoactive drips, and super sick patients. Yes, we do this in IR. But not full-time.

I doubt most NA schools would accept it, but it is up to each individual NA school to define critical care experience and some of the larger NA schools have been known to bend the definition to fill all their available spots.

Check the schools you are interested in. A lot will say on right on their website what they accept. If they don't have it on the website just email them. I have been researching a lot of schools and have noticed some variation in what is acceptable for experience. Most schools will not accept IR or PACU experience as critical care but there are some that may.

Specializes in Critical Care.

No. ICU. Very few accept ER or PACU. Never heard of IR.

+ Add a Comment