X-ray effects in nursing

Question:

I am a student and need help with my investigatory work which is about the effects of the technique on nursing. I put my question to persons who work with radiotherapy (X-ray treatment). The question is: How do you experience this technological factor?

I try to explain what exactly I mean. Nowadays, hospitals characterize by the technological equipments which have been used daily. This leads to that the nurses forget how the patients feel and react to these complicated equipments and the environment of hospital, moreover the effect of environment, caring and the treatment of personals which influence the health of patients. My questions are: What is the essential thing about the radiographer´s task? I am not sure if caring is the part of radiographer´s task but I know that the important part of nurse´s task is caring. I don´t know if any nurses work with radiographers there in the same way in Sweden. Are there any risks which have an effect on caring in the negative direction in the technological care environment? If there is such a technological factor how the radiographers/nurses experience that in their job.

I’m working as a RN in Sweden. But I do have a problem, and that is NA, LPN among others. I have tried to find out what all this means in many different sources (Library, Internet) but the answer is nowhere to be found. I wonder if someone would explain this to me, or direct me to a website where I can find some answers.

Answer:

I am a student and need help with my investigatory work which is about the effects of the technique on nursing. I put my question to persons who work with radiotherapy(X-ray treatment). The question is: How do you experience this technological factor?

What technique are you asking about?

I work in Imaging Services. Please clarify your question.

What is the essential thing about the radiographer´s task? I am not sure if caring is the part of radiographer´s task but I know that the important part of nurse´s task is caring. I don´t know if any nurses work with radiographers there in the same way in Sweden. Are there any risks which have an effect on caring in the negative direction in the technological care environment? If there is such a technological factor how the radiographers/nurses experience that in their job?

Technology only distracts if you are unfamiliar with it. It is essential for the operator/nurse to use technology safely and to know its limits. I still check my med calculations, even if the Pharmacy computerized label is on the IV bag; I still assess my patient and talk with him, even though he is literally wired for sound with technology. The negative of technology would be relying on it and forgetting the pt; what good is a fancy heart monitor if your pt is in PEA and you didn't assess the whole pt. The other negative is that technology is costly and sometimes the operators clamor for the latest toys, without much thought to its cost versus effectiveness.

I do have a problem, and that is NA, LPN among others. I have tried to find out what all this means in many different sources (Library, Internet) but the answer is nowhere to be found. I wonder if someone would explain this to me, or direct me to a website where I can find some answers. This would make some of the postings easier to understand.

This may help some an NA is a Nursing Assistant. As far as know they do not have to be licensed like RN's, but they do go to classes and get training. I think they mostly work in the hospital setting, but I am sure their work isn't limited to that. LPN stands for Licensed Practicing Nurse. Humm… I think it does anyway. If not I am sure someone will correct me. Anyways, they usually go to a two year school and get an associates degree rather than a bachelor’s degree. They basically have the same training as RN's as far as I know, but they do not get paid as much. I am still a nursing student, and am not really super clear about it all. If I wrong someone will clear it up, but until then I hope I helped!!

Umm NOPE! I received basic nursing training in fundamentals, and concepts beyond them, but RN education takes it to a deeper level, IMHO. I now have a deeper understanding of pathophysiology and the nursing process since I've done an RN program.

Here in Florida, the Nurse Practice Act is fairly liberal in what LPN's are allowed to do, but that varies from state to state and facility to facility. At my particular facility, I do everything but give Urokinaise and hang blood. I do IVP's, piggybacks, central lines...having been trained in all of these, and always with an RN to back me up if I need it.

Just a few corrections: A NA/CNA is a nursing assistant. They go through training (usually about 6-8 weeks). They take a test and are certified by the State Board of Health. LPN/LVN: Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse. The training is 12-18 months long. They take State Boards and are licensed by the State Board of Nursing. They do not acquire Associates Degrees. Mainly bedside nurses. QMA: Qualified Medical Assistant. CNA's with advanced training to administer all meds that are given PO. IV and g-tube meds must still be given by and RN or LPN/LVN. Most commonly found in long-term care. RN: Registered Nurse. Degreed nurse. Either Associates or Baccalaureat. 2-4 years training. Some older nurses are diploma grads, who went to hospital-based schools of nursing. Takes the State Board Exam for Registered Nurses. Licensed by the State Board of nursing. GPN/GN: Graduate Practical Nurse or Graduate Nurse. Any nurse who has graduated from a school of Nursing, but has not taken/ped state boards. Some facilities/hospitals call them NT's for Nurse Technicians.

Wrong on a number of accounts
1. CNA (Certified Nurse Assistants) work in hospitals, long term care settings, in home care, and in outpatient clinics. If you have ever been to an outpatient dialysis clinic, you will know that most of the caregiving staff are CNA's with additional training in dialysis. They are called Patient Care Technicians in some clinics, by other names in other clinics. They do not work predominantly in hospitals. For financial reasons, it often makes sense to employ CNA's in long term care and in the care of chronically ill in outpatient clinics.
2. LPN stands for Licensed Practical Nurse. LVN stands for Licensed Vocational Nurse. They have nowhere near the same training as RN's. They do not usually go to 2 year schools and get associates' degrees. I believe you are talking about 2 year Associate's Degree nursing programs which prepare candidates for RN licensing exams. LPN programs that I have seen have been much shorter than that - usually 1 year - and prepare candidates for taking the Practical Nursing licensing examination.
3. CNA's are as specified. Certified. They not only take classes, but they must also p a certification examination. Nurse assistant training used to be done by the institution employing the person, but where I come from (Missouri) the training was more and more being done at community colleges.
4. Some more enlightening news - as part of your curriculum, aren't you taught how important the roles are of various healthcare givers? We were. I don't mean to be critical, I'm just wondering. From your note, you sound like a US citizen. I don't know of any nursing student in the US that isn't taught the proper terminology for a Licensed Practical (or Vocational) Nurse. Nor do I know of any nursing student in the US that isn't taught what Nurse Assistants and Certified Nurse Assistants do.

Forgive me if you're new in nursing school - maybe they just haven't covered that yet. But please familiarize yourself with what they do before you get out on the floor and meet some face to face. I was a CNA for a long time before I entered nursing school and I used to hate it when nursing students were on the floor and demonstrated, from their behavior, complete and total disregard for what I did. I would be in a patient's room, doing my job, caring for the patient, and have whichever student-nurse-of-the-day come in and take over whatever I was doing, jump right in like they knew everything, and then I would:
1. Feel insulted
2. Head right to my charge nurse, who often was an LPN, and
3. Get the problem resolved right away so I could go back in to my patient and
get my work done in peace. Let's demonstrate by our behavior (and what we write on this newsgroup, too) that we respect what each of us has to contribute. When you start your clinical rotation and meet Nursing Assistants and LPN/LVN's, treat them with the same respect you want for yourself. If you know at least something about what they do, and maybe even offer some assistance, you'll be very welcome out on the floor.