Endoscopy units are busy, fast-paced departments with mostly daytime hours, which makes them popular with nurses. Endoscopy nurses care for patients before, during and after camera tests such as gastroscopy, colonoscopy and bronchoscopy.
Imagine a nervous patient about to have a colonoscopy, worried about pain and embarrassment. You explain each step, hold their hand, watch their oxygen levels and sedation, and keep them comfortable. Afterwards they say, “That was nothing like I feared.” Your reassurance made that difference.
What endoscopy nurses do
- Pre-assessment, consent checks and bowel preparation advice
- Monitoring patients during sedation
- Assisting with procedures, biopsies and equipment
- Recovery and discharge advice
- Decontamination and infection control of scopes
How to get into it
- Experience in surgical, medical, recovery or day-case nursing helps
- Training in sedation monitoring and life support
- Specialist endoscopy courses, often provided by employers
But can nurses perform endoscopies?
In some countries, such as the UK, experienced nurses can train as nurse endoscopists and perform certain procedures independently. In others, the role is focused on assisting. Check what’s possible where you work.
Your next step: Ask your hospital’s endoscopy unit manager whether you could shadow a session. Many units train nurses with no prior endoscopy experience.
Sources: Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates, British Society of Gastroenterology, Joint Advisory Group on GI Endoscopy (UK). This article is for general information.
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