The Rewards of Nursing at the San Francisco VA

"Ultimately, taking care of patients and veterans is why my fellow coworkers and I work at the San Francisco VA. Working here for the past 8 years has been an extremely rewarding experience," explains Christine Horatschi, Radiology Charge Nurse at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

“The radiology charge nurse represents the nursing team and acts as the coordinator for the department between the physician and nursing staff. The VA radiology nurses have to be flexible as they rotate between interventional radiology, diagnostic CT procedures, and nuclear medicine. This leads to a dynamic learning environment, with diversely-skilled nurses who are continuously adding to their knowledge base so they may provide expert care. The nurses are constantly challenged with new procedures and developing new guidelines to improve patient care. Radiology nurses play a key role in pre-procedure planning, coordinating patient care with the physicians and patient teaching. VA radiology nurses strive to provide patient safety and pain management during invasive procedures. I always go home with a feeling of accomplishment knowing I have helped a veteran through a difficult procedure.”