radiology nursing

Many people ask me what I do and I always respond, "I am a Radiology Nurse."  Typically they nod their head (looking completely confused) and say "oh, cool."  This comes from nurses in the hospital even!  When I worked ICU and stated what I did, people's eyes would light up and they would comment on how amazing I was for doing such a job.  That response no longer happens.  A confused, odd expression is what I get now.

Let me explain what I do every day. 

I review our schedule for Interventional Radiology (IR) and review the schedule for Computerized Tomography (CT).  I also see if there are any bone marrow biopsies, paracentesis, thoracentesis, bronchoscopy, pleurex drain catheter placement, or pediatric sedations on the schedule.  On our white board is a list of 5 positions:

1. IR Nurse
2. CT Nurse
3. Float Nurse
4. Bay Procedure Nurse
5. Bay Nurse

Then I look for my name.....

Float Nurse would see this all day:

The float nurse focuses on procedures done in our Radiology Nursing Unit.  That can include Paracentesis (fluid drained off the abdomen), Thoracentesis (Fluid drained of the lungs), Pleurex Catheter (permanent catheter placed in the abdomen or lung so patients can drain at home), sedating pediatric patients for EEGs or sleep studies, getting patients ready for the exams in CT or IR.  Also we prep anesthesia patients for the MRI.  There is such a hodge podge of things we do here.

CT Nurse would see this all day:

During the procedure I am sedating, assessing and monitoring the patient.  That is my role, making sure the patient is comfortable and safe at all times.  I report to the physician if there is a problem but truly it is all on the nurse to be vigilant and responsive.

The procedures I would see here are:

• Lung Biopsy
• Liver Biopsy
• Pancreatic Biopsy
• Kidney Biopsy
• Lymph Node Biopsy
• Any mass Biopsy
• Chest Tube Placement
• Abscess Drain Placement
• Liver Ablation
• Lung Ablation
• SI Injection
• Fluid Mass Aspiration

IR Nurse would see this all day:

 

I would be sitting at the head of the bed with the patient.  Sedating, assessing and monitoring them during the duration of the case.  As you can tell we do quite a bit of everything.

These are the procedures I would be involved in:

• Angioplasty and Vascular Stenting
• Biliary Interventions
• Brain Aneurysm Embolization
• Catheter Angiography
• Catheter Embolization
• Catheter-directed Thrombolysis
• Cerebral Angiography
• Chemoembolization
• Chest Interventions
• Dialysis and Fistula/Graft Declotting and Interventions
• Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement and Removal
• Intracranial Vascular Treatments
• Lumbar Puncture
• Percutaneous Abscess Drainage
• Peritoneal Ports
• Radioembolization (Y90)
• Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS)
• Ureteral Stenting and Nephrostomy
• Uterine Fibroid Embolization
• Varicocele Embolization
• Vascular Access Procedures
• Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty
• Nephrostomy Drain Placements
• Discogram
• Central Line Placement

I can not even tell you all the procedures we do because it seems to grow and expand everyday.  The hospital has recognized us as the best sedation team.  We calculate how much a patient needs and we give it.  The physicians are better able to focus on the procedure while we focus of the patient.

That is my day in a nut shell.  Now, who wants a BIOPSY!!?!?!?!?!  haha