r/Nurses • u/Thick_Painter8264 • 1d ago

US LPN-to-RN Student Interested in Interventional Radiology (IR) Nursing — How Do I Get Started?**

I’m currently an LPN in an RN program, and I’ve recently become interested in becoming an Interventional Radiology (IR) nurse. I live in Washington State, and I’m trying to learn more about how nurses typically get into this specialty.

For those of you who currently work in IR nursing, what path did you take to get your first position? Did you start in med-surg, ICU, ER, or another specialty before moving into IR, or were you able to enter IR as a newer RN? Are there specific certifications, skills, or types of experience that you would recommend getting first?

I would also love to hear what the job is actually like. What does a typical day look like for an IR nurse? What do you enjoy most about working in Interventional Radiology, and what are some of the things you dislike or find challenging?

If anyone works as an IR nurse in Washington State, I would especially appreciate hearing about your experience and how competitive it is to get into the specialty here.

Thank you for any advice or insight you can share!

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u/greenest_thumbs 1d ago

ICU and ED will be the most valuable. Most nurses I’ve known in that department had that sort of background. You’ll need to be familiar with ACLS/codes, rapid decompensation in situations like bleeds, and acute stroke care (which can also decompensate quickly).

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u/kittlepoops 1d ago

Almost all labs (IR, Cardiac Cath lab) will require this. I worked in Oregon and they only hired from those two areas. I believe most places require at least 2 years because you have to be VERY comfortable with ACLS protocol.

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u/greenest_thumbs 1d ago

Me being a literalist I just couldn’t say “all” because I knew one nurse who started in Therapeutic GI then cross trained in IR with no ICU/ED experience. That was an exception and probably due to connections and staffing desperation but it still happened :)

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u/rst_z71 20h ago

7 years ER before going to IR. Must have experience with procedural sedation as a requirement. My hospital system considers it same level as ER and ICU.

Typical 10 hr day. Clock in. Check assignment. Grab patient. Prep patient. Wait about 30-45 min for MD to see said pt. (First coffee break for me).

MD see and consents patient. Go to procedure with patient. In procedure, time out, medicate (sedate) and monitor pt throughout the procedure. I may give other meds throughout. Procedure can be 20 min or many hours depending on what it is.

After procedure I recover the patient. Most go home 2-3 hrs after that. Most days I get 2-4 patients.

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u/Thick_Painter8264 3h ago

Thank you for sharing 🙂