Provide essential care for patients and their carers attending for procedures, who can be in any state of health or illness.
Educate patients and their carers in order that they can make informed choice about their investigations and treatment, in a way that they can understand.
Educate nursing and medical staff (both on the wards and those visiting nuclear medicine) about basic nuclear medicine principles and procedures. For example, explaining that Krypton is an agent used in lung ventilation imaging and doesn't come from the home of Superman.
Educate nuclear medicine staff about nursing care such as pain control and comfort.
Nurses working in Nuclear Medicine are often involved (and sometimes instigate) audit and research in order to assess quality of care provided and where possible improve the way in which procedures are performed. Sometimes Nuclear Medicine nurses are involved in Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials.
Sometimes Nurses may co-ordinate sessions or clinics to ensure smooth running and continuity of care.
Staff from many different specialities contribute to the work in nuclear medicine, including pharmacists, radiographers, technologists, doctors, physicists, clinical scientists, administrative staff, nurses, laboratory technicians and research technicians.
For the department to run at its best, these staff need to understand each role and communication between the specialities is essential. The nurse can have an integral role in ensuring effective liaison between staff. Since many in-patients attend Nuclear Medicine the nurse can be the communicator between the wards and the department, not only ensuring the best possible continuing care for the patients, but also updating and developing the knowledge of ward nurses and doctors.
The nurse has an important role in the procedures which are undertaken in Nuclear Medicine. Sometimes the nurse may co-ordinate and undertake procedures and at other times their role is to assist other members of staff.
Often the nurse has a responsibility for the routine testing of essential equipment such as resuscitation equipment. In addition the nurse can take responsibility for the ordering and purchasing of everyday stock and major equipment such as ECG machines. Some procedures require patients to have fatty diet for the duration of the visit and it can be in the best interest for the nurse to establish the quality control for chocolate and doughnut orders.
As Nuclear Medicine offers a wide variety of investigations to people from such a large background, the nurse needs to be aware that the role can change very quickly. In addition, a good knowledge of Nuclear Medicine as speciality will be required.
The following skills are expected:
Much of the training for Nuclear Medicine nursing is performed internally, though it is essential that skills and appropriate attendance at courses is updated regularly, for example:
The best advice is to contact the nearest Nuclear Medicine Department and try to visit and spend a little time there. Unfortunately there are limited publications available specifically for nurse relating to Nuclear Medicine. Those that have been published are generally concerning specific Nuclear Medicine applications.
The British Nuclear Medicine Society have a Nurses Group which produce a Newsletter called Gamma Nurse roughly three times a year. Copies of Gamma Nurse and further information can be obtained from:
Jenni Day
Chairman, British Nuclear Medicine Nurses Association
Department of Nuclear Medicine
Mail Point 26
Southampton University NHS Trust
Tremona Road
Southampton
SO16 6YD
Tel: 01703-796-627
Fax: 01703 796-927
Regional Medical Physics Department, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 6BE, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)191-233-6161 Fax: +44 (0)191-226-0970 E-mail: webmaster@rmpd.org.uk Web: http://www.rmpd.org.uk
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