Why do you love Radiology Nursing?

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Mar 31, 2008

for me that's an easy one. no weekends, no nights, no holidays, no call, better than average pay, far less stress than the floor.

what you need to know depends on what your job description is. radiology nurses function in many roles. i work with ct special procedures, mri, and conscious sedation.

jer_sd · Mar 31, 2008

I have worked in radiology for 10 years.

Interventional radiology-special procedures when you think oabout how you get to treat conditions by catheted or needle base dintervention rather than surgery it is mindblowing. Coiling anyurisms in the brain, limb salavge, or decomperesing massive hydronephrosis and potentialy saving a kindey. I have sedated patients, scrubbe din on cases and worked in clinic... lots of great exposures.

Nuclear medicine- viewing physiological processes and treating cancer with essentialy magic bullets is just flipping cool.

General diagnostic imaging- not as much of a role for nurses unless sedating patients, medicating them, placing foleys for vcugs....

Ultrasound- fun to do and with doppler we can see physioogy of blood flow not just anatomy.

MRI- you can see things that you miss on CT plus great images.

The role of nurses in radiology is different depending on the location and job description. Ask what are the normal duties, probably sedation, patient management , assisting technologist and doctors in the department.

Will you be startign IVs for CT/MRI injecting contrast.

With interventional radiology wil you be trained to scrub, what is the on call scheduale like. Will you be expected to scrub in and sedate at the same time (big no no for patient saftey)

Nuclear med- probably cardaic stress testing, will you be adminstering rituxamab (sp) for NHL treatments?

Hopefully that will give you some ideas of teh field.

Jeremy