Radiology Nursing Job Description
A Radiology Nursing job description involves diagnosing and treating both disease and injuries through imaging. Whenever a person decides that he or she wants to become a nurse, he or she also has the option to specialize in a certain area of medicine. An individual may do so by earning a certification. Specifically, if a person is interested in radiology, he or she may want to consider becoming a radiology nurse, which this guide will help a person learn how. However, if someone is unsure of what he or she wants his or her specialty to be, he or she may want to learn more about what a radiology nurse does and how much he or she makes.
What Is a Radiology Nurse?
If a person wants to know what is a radiology nurse, he or she should understand that this is the person who assists radiologists and technologists. Nurses and doctors in this particular area of medicine use X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), ultrasounds, nuclear medicine, and computed tomography (CT).
To answer what is a radiology nurse, a person may also want to know some of the uses of imaging. A PET scan is useful in the diagnosis of cancer and to monitor how it’s spreading. An ultrasound can help detect issues like gallstones. Nuclear medicine, on the other hand, is used to treat certain types of cancer as well as hyperthyroidism.
What Does a Radiology Nurse Do?
A person also wants to understand what does a radiology nurse do before making a decision to become one. For one, part of the radiology nurse job description includes providing certain treatments and medications to patients before their procedures. This person is also responsible for monitoring a patient’s vital signs during the diagnostics and procedures. A radiology nurse inserts follies before certain procedures and will also remove them at the end of the procedure. In certain cases, a radiology nurse may administer I.V. sedation or an analgesic.
Another part of the radiology nurse job description includes talking with patients and their families, so they’re aware of the patient’s condition and what to expect during treatments as well as how to prepare for the procedures. Additionally, the radiology nursing job description includes letting patients know what to expect once they leave the office.
A radiology nursing job description may also include creating care plans and communicating with physicians.
How Do You Become a Radiology Nurse?
If the radiology nursing job description listed above interests a person, the next step is in the process is to learn how to become a radiology nurse. The first step to knowing how to become a radiology nurse is to earn either an associate’s degree in nursing or a bachelor’s degree in nursing. A person can take the licensure test with either option; however, most registered nurses prefer to earn a bachelor’s degree to adequately prepare him or her for a career as a registered nurse (RN).
Once a person obtains the initial education, he or she will need to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for RNs. Once a person passes this exam, he or she is eligible to practice as a general RN. He or she will want to gain experience practicing as an RN. Then, he or she can complete a radiology nurse certification program, which prepares a nurse for this particular aspect of nursing. In fact, in a radiology nurse certification program, a person will learn about the different types of imaging and their purposes of them. He or she will learn the specifics of the testing and diagnostics.
After a person completes the nurse radiology certification program, he or she can take a nurse radiology certification exam to demonstrate his or her knowledge about the field. Once he or she has the radiology nursing certification, he or she can practice as a nurse in radiology. Keep in mind that the radiology nursing certification is only valid for four years before a person will need to renew it.
What Is the Average Radiology Nurse Salaries?
Average radiology nurse salaries vary from state to state and facility to facility. However, one fact remains the same a radiology nursing salary is higher than an average nurse’s salary because this nurse has a specialty. He or she has to go through additional training to work in this particular area of medicine.
On the lower end, a radiology nurse may earn $23.59 per hour. However, a registered nurse who specializes in this area of medicine may earn up to $79.77 per hour, which is on the higher end for a radiology nursing salary.
In terms of a yearly radiology nurse’s salary, a nurse may make $27,818 on the lower end of the spectrum. However, the higher end of the radiology nurse spectrum is $72,541 annually. While one nursing radiology salary is on the higher end and the other nurse radiology salary is on the lower end, the average nursing radiology salary is $65,002.
When a person considers the nursing radiology salary figures, he or she should understand that a nursing radiology salary grows with experience. A person also has to take into consideration that a nurse’s radiology salary will increase if a person takes on a leadership role. A person should also know that a nurse radiology nurse’s salary is higher in different types of settings. However, most nurses in this area receive the average radiology nurse salary of a nurse in this specialty in a hospital.
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