Thinking about working in a GI lab

There are free standing GI labs, there are GI labs connected to, a part of, acute care hospitals, and there are GI labs that are part of free standing ambulatory surgical centers.

1) Free standing GI only labs are relatively easy; healthy, stable, patients go there for routine screenings and procedures. You have to be quick, they make money by getting a lot of patients in and out quickly.

2) GI labs that are inside acute care hospital do routine screenings, healthy patients, but also deal with critically sick in hospital patients.

3) GI labs that are part of ambulatory surgical centers are similar to number 1, but you may get the opportunity to work pre-op or PACU, for all patients surgical and GI.

Well.....now that that is clear as mud :), anyway it all can make a difference.

GI nurses working any of the 3 different areas may work only admit, only in the GI room, or only PACU, or be expected to cross train and work all three areas. And even if you are only assigned to work in the GI room you may be the sedation nurse, or some clinics have anesthesia give sedation and the nurse is like an OR circulator.

You will needs ACLS and you may need to start IV's.

There are several older posts about the day of a GI nurse, you can put in the search box. You tube is a good source for what goes on in a GI lab.

Brownbook is right on. I can't add much more than that.

I have worked in free standing and hospital GI labs. I appreciated that the free standing clinic was M-F 8-5 with no call. The acute care setting required call as we had the inpatient and ER population. I can't tell you how many times I was called in to work for a patient who swallowed a key or whatever.

If the need were to arise I would gladly go back to it.