Management and Leadership: Educating and Orienting the Radiology Nurse of the Future

Abstract

VOLUME 30 ISSUE 3 The specialty of radiology has undergone dramatic growth and change over the past 30 years, largely because of the tremendous advances in imaging capabilities. These advances have changed the way we approach such problems as appendicitis, neurovascular anomalies, abscesses, uterine fibroids, and abdominal aortic aneurysmsdconditions that were once life threatening are now treated with ease. Radiology has moved from being purely a diagnostic specialty (taking films and identifying diseases and/or problems) to invasive, procedural, and curative medicine. As a response, the role of the radiology nurse has evolved. Today, the radiology nurse is an integral element of patient care for individuals undergoing radiological procedures. In the past, a patient presenting with an acute abdomen would often require an exploratory laparotomy merely to identify and treat the underlying problem. Today an image often gives a diagnosis, slowing the rush to surgery and even negating the need for surgery at all. The shift has been away from traditional open surgical approaches performed within the operating room using anesthesia, to procedures performed in the interventional radiology department using percutaneous approaches. Developments in imaging and interventional radiology now offer different ways of diagnosing, treating