UVA Radiology salutes nurses (from left to right) Meaghan Burkett, Jenny Friend and Anita Carswell
From May 6-11, 2021, UVA Radiology celebrated Nurses Week, a chance to recognize the dedicated, compassionate and tireless nurses who care for patients every day in our department. (Click here to see a slideshow of photos from Nurses Week 2021)
“All our staff take on incredible health care challenges every day, gently guiding patients who have never had a study before or who are very frail through their imaging or procedure experience,” says Dr. Fritz Angle, Chief of Interventional Radiology. “But our nurses, in particular, take on the complex challenges of performing assessments, consoling families, monitoring patients during procedures, aiding in providing sedation, and safely returning patients to their unit or family.”
“We should never take our radiologic nurses for granted,” Dr. Angle continues. “Imagine a clinic or acute care nurse that needs to intake multiple new patients every single day, and then is immediately asked to give them conscious sedation for a procedure, and then to discharge them – all in the same day!
“Simply put, we have an amazing team of nurses and we thank you for all you do.”
Celebrating Meaghan, Anita and Jenny
We sat down and spoke with RNs from the three divisions in Radiology where nurses perform their vital work – interventional radiology, neuroradiology, and body procedures (also called the RADU). We asked them about their work, their heroes, and why they do what they do. Join us in celebrating and thanking them and all our nurses!
Meaghan Burkett, RN
MEAGHAN BURKETT
Interventional Radiology
Tell us about what you do here at UVA Radiology.
I’m a nurse (Clinician 4) in Interventional Radiology. I help prep, recover, monitor and sedate patients having interventional radiology procedures.
What do you like most about your work?
Every day is different and every patient is different. We perform a huge variety of procedures on patients of all ages with many different disease processes. When I’m in charge, I like the challenge of trying to fill the schedule and rooms while also making sure everyone gets a break and leaves on time.
What’s one thing about your job that might surprise people?
Everything about my job surprises people! IR does so many different types of procedures that its often hard for the general public to understand exactly what we do. I might take care of a patient getting a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) who does not need sedation, then a patient who needs a complex venous procedure under general anesthesia, then a patient having a nephrostomy tube exchanged under sedation.
Where did you grow up?
Goochland, Virginia.
Favorite thing about Charlottesville?
The Blue Ridge Mountains and the UVA community (my nursing degree is from UVA).
Who is your inspiration/hero?
Hmmm… that’s a hard one. I’ve worked with so many great nurses over the years and I have a wonderful manager, Annette Silver, who I admire. My inspiration, honestly, comes from my faith and my desire to serve the Lord with all the talents He has given me.
What’s your favorite thing about working in the Radiology Department?
My favorite thing is our team! Our team members (nurses, PCTs, IR technologists, APPs and physicians) all have so many different backgrounds and experiences. Our differences combine to create what I hope is a really great patient experience. Each part of our IR team is very knowledgeable and each is necessary for patient care. It truly takes a team.
Anita Carswell, RN
ANITA CARSWELL
Neuroradiology
Tell us about what you do here at UVA Radiology.
I am an RN, clinician 4, in the neuroradiology division. Neuroradiology nurses prepare patients for various brain/spine procedures such as lumbar punctures (spinal taps) and cerebral angiograms. Lumbar punctures, for example, have several uses: they can be used to remove cerebrospinal fluid to send to the lab; to give a patient medications (such as chemotherapy); or to inject contrast to determine why a patient is having leg or arm symptoms such as weakness or pain.
The nursing staff reviews each patient who will be coming and determines if they need to have medicines held, labs drawn, sedation, etc. Also, we look to make sure that the orders are correct. I am frequently the charge nurse, which I liken to ‘air traffic control.’ There are a lot of moving parts in any procedural area including inpatients, outpatients, emergencies – changing priorities are the norm.
What do you like most about your work?
The thing I like most is the fast pace when it gets busy. I like to juggle several things at once; I feel like I work better when I’m multitasking.
What’s one thing about your job that might surprise people?
I have worked in Radiology for seven years! Doesn’t seem that long.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Maryland, outside of Annapolis. I went the University of Maryland at College Park (go Terps!), then went to nursing school at Anne Arundel Community College. While working in an outpatient clinic for neurosurgery, I investigated the BSN program. The advisors told me that since I already had a bachelor’s degree, I should apply to the Master’s Program. I had NEVER thought about getting a Master’s Degree. And then I enrolled in a graduate certificate program for Health Sciences Management. I have a bachelor’s degree, an associate’s degree, and one-and-a-half master’s degrees. I am done with school!
Favorite thing about Charlottesville?
Albemarle County is truly beautiful. My husband and I have 20 acres in North Garden which is full of wildlife (bears, coyotes, wild turkeys, deer, all sorts of birds) and our vegetable garden. We are lucky to have found land for sale.
Who is your inspiration/hero?
I don’t have a specific hero, per se. I am inspired by people who can make and do for themselves. Grow their own food, make furniture, make clothes, are creative and artistic, etc.
What’s your favorite thing about working in the Radiology Department?
My favorite thing about what I do is my team. They each bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that goes beyond what we do here. It is not just nursing experience; it’s not just radiologic technologist experience – these very bright people bring life experiences that help each of us do our jobs better.
Jenny Friend, RN
JENNY FRIEND
RADU (Body Procedures)
Tell us about what you do here at UVA Radiology.
I work in radiology nursing, specifically, the RadU. We do body procedures: ultrasound-guided, fluoroscopy-guided, and CT-guided. As a nurse, I have three different jobs. The first, which I spend most of my time doing, is the RadU outpatient coordinator. That consists of doing intakes over email or the phone for all patients who need body procedures from providers both inside and outside of UVA. I get referrals into the system where our physicians can view them and approve them. Then I coordinate getting procedures scheduled, contacting providers, and making sure referrals go where they need to.
I also work in the inpatient coordinator role. As inpatient orders come into the office, I work with a PA (who is also doing triage) to fit them into the schedule and make sure we have staff. I coordinate patients coming down from the floor or the ER, and help direct our radiologists to the correct procedure rooms. We have four procedures going on at any one time. I also do a little bit of clinical work. I make pre-procedure phone calls, and take patients one at a time from the waiting room back to the RadU. Then I take the patient to ultrasound, CT, fluoroscopy or nuclear medicine, as needed. I help sedate patients, monitor them, then bring them back to the pre-procedure area for monitoring before they are discharged.
What do you like most about your work?
I love my colleagues and how we work closely as a team. I love working with physicians to coordinate care with patients. When I’m working clinically, I love following one patient at a time, from the beginning of their day to the end. It’s really good, intentional nursing care. It’s much more holistic and comforting for patients. I like the outpatient coordinator role because it’s like a puzzle with many, many moving pieces. I like to put all the pieces together and make it work out so patients are seen in a timely fashion for whatever biopsies they need.
What’s one thing about your job that might surprise people?
It would surprise people to know how much background work goes into making procedures happen. A tremendous amount of coordination happens behind the scenes in order to do a biopsy, for example, though it seems like it would be very simple. It actually takes about 20 different steps to make one procedure happen.
Where did you grow up?
In Grayson County, in southwestern Virginia.
Favorite thing about Charlottesville?
The geography of Charlottesville reminds me of where I grew up. I love the landscape. I also like the fact that it’s a small city but there’s a lot of things to do. It’s close to Richmond, close to DC, and close to the beach. It’s a nice, beautiful central location.
Who is your inspiration/hero?
I have a great deal of admiration for my parents – they both came from very poor backgrounds but managed to go to college and become healthcare providers. My father was a dentist and was the first in his family to go to college and graduate. My mother and both of my grandmothers were nurses, and my mom started a vocational nursing program in Greyson. And my husband, who has supported me my whole career.
What’s your favorite thing about working in the Radiology Department?
I feel like we have a particularly special group of nurses in the RadU. We have a lot of fun, but we also have a lot of experience, which lends a sort of calm to the things that happen here. It takes a lot to rattle our cages. Patients feel that and feel more secure because of it. And Vickie Taylor is the best and most present manager I’ve ever had. She puts on her scrubs every day and knows how to do every job on this unit. She doesn’t just sit in her office. She does inpatient, outpatient, takes care of patients. She relieves people so they can take a break. That makes a huge difference in staff satisfaction.
Meaghan Burkett has done a great deal for IR. What she accomplishes for the department is so very impactful, in a good way, of course! She moves through each day with such grace and purpose. She is the ultimate role model. I am privileged to work with and learn from her.