IIRRT President 

Currently,19 nurses have completed all elements of the first 

nurseprescribercourse and related assessments. The HSE has not yet 

compiled a register of the namesand ABA PINs of these individuals, NO 

nurse can prescribe X-rays under SI 303 of 2007 until this database is 

established. The HSE intend to complete this database in February. This 

database will be accessible by the RSM in the affected hospitals and only 

nurses listed here may prescribe x-rays. Only requests from nurseswho 

have been confirmed by your RSM as having completed the nurse 

prescribing course can be accepted.

The hospitals that will be affected by this first group are:

Beaumont University Hospital 

Cork University Hospital 

Sligo General Hospital 

Limerick Regional Hospital 

St. Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda

Our Lady’s Hospital Navan, Co. Meath

Monaghan General Hospital 

Waterford Regional Hospital

In the affected hospitals a ‘Local Implementation Group’ is already 

established to “ensure that the practice is safely introduced and 

implemented within a collaborative multidisciplinary context” (A 

guiding framework for the implementation of nurse prescribing 

of x-rays in Ireland, 2009). Membership of this group includes 

radiography management. Some of the functions of this group include:

·       Implement policies, protocols and guidelines to support 

           the practice change;

·       Ensure risk management structures are in place and

·       Identify suitable clinical areas for this introduction of this 

           practice.

The IIRRT will keep you updated on this issue through our website 

www.iirrt.ie and local representatives.

For more information on the scope of practice of nurse prescriber 

practice see attached Appendix.

Progress on the next Nurse Prescriber Courses

The second group has 19 nurses enrolled and it is progressing, with 

the assessment for this courseplanned in early March.

The third programme begins on the 9th February and the assessments 

are scheduled for early April.

Proliferation of the course is controlled by the HSE steering group for 

nurse prescribers. The IIRRT have a representative on the group. 

James Connolly Memorial and Tullamore Hospitals have asked to run 

the course through their CNEs and have applied for HETAC approval 

to do so. The Advance Nurse Practitioner courses in Trinity and 

UCD will be incorporating prescribing into their modular programmes 

also.

Appendix - Scope of Practice of nurse prescriber practice

The registered nurse with the authority to prescribe ionising 

radiation (x-ray), practising withintheir scope of practice, can make 

an independent decision to prescribex-rays and is professionally 

accountable for his or her decision. Whilethe nurse operating within 

his/her scope of practice to prescribex-rays, it is the patients’ named 

Consultant who bears ultimateresponsibility for patient care. This 

is the Consultant who assumesresponsibility for treatment actions that 

may be necessary as a resultof findings on radiographic studies. The 

request form written by the nurse must also contain the name of the 

Consultant.

A registered nurse competent in nurse prescribing of medical ionising 

radiation may prescribe the following plain film x-rays:

“A Guiding Framework for the Implementation of nurse Prescribing 

of Ionisation Radiation (x-rays) in Ireland” contains information on the 

educational programme and the implementation process. It can be accessed 

via the following link:

http://www.hse.ie/eng/about/Who/Nursing_Services/Prescribing_of_Ionising_Radiation/Guiding_Framework.pdf