Get Involved!
Are you an IR nurse or work with one who is passionate about IR nursing? IRN is looking for volunteer nurses across Canada interested in the development of educational content for the IRN section of CAIR. For more information on how you can get involved, don’t hesitate to contact Nicole Hall (nicole.hall@albertahealthservices.ca) and Kristina Canizares (kristina.canizares@vch.ca).
Vision Statement
To cultivate a vibrant and inclusive community where interventional radiology nurses across Canada can access unparalleled resources, fostering continual growth and excellence in their practice. We aspire to be the leading hub of knowledge, empowering IR nurses with the expertise, skills, and network to elevate patient care and advance the interventional radiology profession.
Mission Statement
The Interventional Radiology Nurses Section (IRNS) of the Canadian Association for Interventional Radiology (CAIR) is dedicated to providing IR nurses with the most comprehensive educational materials, resources, and collaborative opportunities. We strive to:
- Empower nurses with specialized education and skill-building resources to enhance their expertise in interventional radiology.
- Foster a supportive and collaborative environment that promotes knowledge sharing and professional development.
- Advocate for the recognition of IR nursing as an essential and innovative specialty within the broader healthcare landscape.
- Facilitate meaningful connections among IR nurses across Canada to build a resilient and skilled professional network.
Leaders
Kristina Canizares MSN, BSN
As a Nurse Educator specializing in Interventional Radiology, Kristina brings over a decade of experience blending clinical expertise with educational leadership. Her journey has been marked by a commitment to enhancing patient care through education, mentorship, and program development.
Holding a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of British Columbia, along with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and Critical Care certification, Kristina has honed a diverse skill set that spans both clinical and instructional domains. Her expertise encompasses leadership roles, individual and group education, curriculum development, and policy formulation. Prior to Interventional Radiology, Kristina gained experience serving as an LPN Classroom Instructor, and has held Nursing positions in various specialties including PACU, Thoracics, General Surgery, and High Acuity.
Kristina is looking forward to continued advocacy for the recognition of Interventional Radiology as a Nursing specialty, and further enhancing resources and organization for our growing CAIR community.
Nicole Hall RN, BScN
Nicole Hall is a Clinical Nursing Instructor for Diagnostic Imaging in Calgary, Alberta. She graduated from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
She initiated her career in Acute Medicine in Calgary, and Australia, quickly moved on to Emergency Department before settling in Interventional Radiology, where she has grown her skills in nursing and leadership for the last 12 years, recently settling into her current position.
Nicole is the proud recipient of the 2022 Frederickson MacGregor Foundation award for interprofessional development and has contributed her expertise in the creation of educational materials for Rad-Aid International. She aims to highlight IR nursing as a nationally recognized specialty and encourage and support other healthcare professionals in the specialty.
Interventional Radiology Nursing
The availability of registered nursing support within interventional radiology departments is a vital component to the provision of the highest standard of patient care. Interventional radiology nurses ensure that adequate and safe monitoring of the interventional radiology patient occurs before, during and after all procedures.
Interventional radiology is an expanding field where many patients are now able to attend for day-of procedures, thus reducing healthcare costs and time spent occupying the healthcare system. A significant number of IR patients are emergency cases and/or inpatients that may be extremely ill at the time of their procedures. The nature of minimally invasive vascular and non-vascular interventional radiology means that most procedures are carried out with conscious patients, who may or may not receive procedural sedation as warranted by their planned procedure, pain response, and clinical condition. Experienced and appropriately trained interventional radiology nurses are vital members of the IR team.
Patients undergoing vascular and/or non-vascular interventional procedures require comprehensive preprocedural nursing care. Physical and psychosocial wellbeing is assessed routinely, inclusive of medical, medication and social histories. Interventional radiology nurses are required to assess the patient’s degree of knowledge and anxiety regarding the planned procedure, allaying fear through reassurance, explanation, patient teaching and family support.
During interventional radiology procedures, the nursing staff is a fundamental member of the team in both the circulating and scrub nurse roles. The IR RN will assess, plan and implement the total care of the conscious or conscious-sedated patient; including monitoring vital signs and electrocardiogram rhythms. The ability and nursing knowledge to understand trending vital signs and patient condition are crucial to the safe delivery of patient care in the interventional radiology suite.
Post procedure, the patient may be ported to a recovery, post care or an inpatient area. Care of the post procedural patient requires careful observation and planned intervention for any potential complications. Puncture sites, airway and hemodynamic status as well as neurological status are continuously assessed and documented in the permanent patient health record. Unstable patients are treated as per area policy under the direction of the attending interventional radiologist. Patient comfort and adequate pain control are managed in the post procedure period by the interventional radiology nurse. IR nurses are responsible for patients in their care until the patient has been deemed appropriate for discharge from the suite.
Interventional radiology nurses are licensed through their provincial and national associations and regulatory bodies. Following a strict code of ethics and performing their duties within the context of their professional standards and scope, always advocating for their patients and the highest level of care.
