Endoscopy Nurse Job Description: Duties and Skills

An endoscopy nurse, often called a GI nurse, cares for patients before, during and after procedures such as colonoscopy and upper endoscopy. The role mixes pre-procedure assessment, sedation monitoring, hands-on assisting in the procedure room and recovery. It is fast-paced procedural nursing, usually on a weekday schedule with some call.

What an endoscopy nurse does

An endoscopy nurse is a registered nurse who works in a GI lab or endoscopy suite, where physicians use flexible scopes to examine and treat the digestive tract. Common procedures include:

• EGD (upper endoscopy) to examine the esophagus, stomach and duodenum
• Colonoscopy for screening, surveillance and diagnosis
• ERCP for bile and pancreatic duct problems, often with fluoroscopy
• EUS (endoscopic ultrasound)
• Bronchoscopy and other scope procedures in some combined units

Endoscopy RNs usually rotate through three areas: pre-procedure, the procedure room and recovery. In a smaller center you may cover all three in one day.

A typical day in the GI lab

Pre-procedure. You confirm identity, procedure and consent, and review history, allergies, blood thinners and diabetes medications against the facility's instructions. You check NPO status and how the bowel prep went, start the IV, and make sure the patient has a ride home if they will be sedated.

In the procedure room. You take part in the time-out and place monitors. Then you either give moderate sedation as ordered and monitor the patient, or, when an anesthesia provider manages sedation, focus on assisting. Assisting means handling biopsy forceps, snares, injection needles and clips at the physician's direction, managing suction, repositioning the patient, applying abdominal pressure when asked and labeling specimens correctly.

Recovery. You monitor the patient as sedation wears off, assess for pain, bloating, bleeding or signs of perforation, and discharge once criteria are met. Discharge teaching covers diet, activity, warning signs and how biopsy results will be shared. The physician explains the findings.

Turnover is quick. Good handoffs between the pre, procedure and recovery nurses keep the schedule moving without cutting corners.

Core duties

• Pre-procedure assessment and education, including bowel prep review
• IV starts and medication administration per orders
• Monitoring patients under moderate (procedural) sedation: level of consciousness, airway, breathing, oxygen saturation, heart rhythm and, where used, capnography
• Assisting with diagnostic and therapeutic tools during procedures
• Specimen labeling, handling and documentation
• Responding to complications such as oversedation, low blood pressure, aspiration or bleeding, following facility protocol
• Recovery care and discharge teaching
• Following scope reprocessing standards, which some units assign to technicians and some to nurses

Skills that matter

• Sedation and airway skills. Your state's nurse practice act and your facility's policy define which sedation medications an RN may give and monitor. Strong airway skills matter more than anything else in this room.
• Speed with accuracy. Specimen mix-ups and missed allergies happen when rooms rush. Consistent habits protect patients.
• Anticipation. You work shoulder to shoulder with the physician and GI technician in a dim room, and the best nurses have the next tool ready before it is requested.
• Patient teaching. Clear prep instructions affect whether the next procedure goes well, and discharge teaching keeps sedated patients safe at home.
• Infection prevention. Reprocessing errors can spread infection, so the unit runs on strict cleaning and tracking steps.

Settings and schedule

• Hospital endoscopy units handle inpatients, outpatients and urgent cases such as GI bleeding and food impaction, usually with an on-call rotation for nights and weekends.
• Ambulatory endoscopy centers focus on scheduled outpatient procedures, often on weekdays only.
• GI physician practices may combine office visits with procedures.

Weekday daytime hours and no routine nights are the main reasons many nurses move to the GI lab. Call can change that picture, so ask how often you would be on call and how call-back is paid. Our article on on-call and call-back pay explains how it usually works.

Education and certifications

You need an RN license from an ADN or BSN program. Many GI labs want acute care experience first, often from the emergency department, ICU, PACU or med-surg, because sedation monitoring and quick assessment carry over directly. Some units train experienced nurses from other backgrounds.

Common requirements and credentials:

• BLS and ACLS, usually required. If you are wondering what ACLS adds beyond the job requirement, see how ACLS certification affects your nursing career.
• A moderate sedation competency through your employer.
• CGRN (Certified Gastroenterology Registered Nurse), from the American Board of Certification for Gastroenterology Nurses. It requires an RN license and GI nursing experience; check with the board for current eligibility.

The Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA) is the main professional organization for the specialty and publishes practice guidance, including on scope reprocessing.

Is the GI lab a good fit?

The GI lab tends to suit nurses who:

• Like predictable days, with the occasional urgent case to keep things sharp
• Enjoy hands-on technical work and learning new equipment
• Are comfortable monitoring sedated patients and acting quickly on airway changes
• Do well with short patient contacts rather than multi-day relationships

It is less of a fit if you want long relationships with patients or a wide range of clinical problems every shift. If the unit allows it, ask to shadow for a few hours before you accept.

Career path

From staff endoscopy nurse you can move into charge or lead roles, GI lab coordinator or manager, department educator, or a clinical role with an endoscopy device company. Some nurses pick up PACU shifts, since recovery skills overlap heavily; the PACU nurse job description shows how close the two roles are. Others go on to advanced practice in gastroenterology.

Where to see pay

Endoscopy pay depends on whether you work in a hospital or an outpatient center, how call works and your region. Check registered nurse pay for ranges built from jobs posted on NurseTide, then run your own numbers in the free pay calculator and factor in call pay separately. Nurses comparing procedural roles with floor nursing talk it through in the OR and perioperative nurses group.

Next step

Browse registered nurse jobs for GI lab and endoscopy openings; every posting on NurseTide shows the pay.

General information for nurses, not medical, legal, tax or financial advice. Follow your facility's policies, your state board of nursing and the terms of your employer or contract.