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You might be admitted to our day case unit to have an MRI scan.

An MRI scan is a special scan that takes pictures of different parts of your body. It does not hurt but you do need to lie very still while the pictures are being taken and the machine does make quite a bit of noise. You can find out what it’s like to have an MRI scan using the Siemen’s app.

Before your scan

You might find it hard to stay still for the scan so we can help you have a special sleep called an anaesthetic whilst the scan is being done. If you are coming in for this, you will be admitted to our Medical Day Case Unit and given a bed.

One of the nurses will come and meet you to find out a bit more about you and fill in some paperwork.

We will need to put a name band on you. It looks like a bracelet and this is really important for us. It tells us your name and if you have any allergies. The nurses and/or doctors may need to check your name band several times when you are in hospital.

Your nurse will then need to do some checks. We call this ‘doing your observations’, or ‘obs’ for short.

This means:

• taking your temperature
• checking your blood pressure
• checking your oxygen levels

None of this hurts so you don’t need to worry. The blood pressure machine gives your arm a little squeeze but if you keep nice and still, it is over fairly quickly.

Sometimes the nurse will put some local anaesthetic cream on you. It goes on the back of your hand or inside your elbows and is covered by a clear plaster. The special cream works to make the places that it touches go numb, that means you can’t feel much where the cream has been.

If you need to have this magic cream put on, the nurse will explain why you need it. Don’t worry; you can still use your arms and hands whilst you have the cream on.

You may meet lots of different people, including our play specialists. The staff in the unit are all there to help you and everyone plays a different role in your day.

Having your scan

When it is time for you to have your scan, you will go up to the MRI department with your parents or guardians and your nurse.

You may walk up the MRI department or you may get to ride in a chair or on a bed. When you are upstairs the anaesthetist will be there to help you go to sleep. We will do the scan while you are sleeping and when it is all done, your parents will be there to bring you back to the children’s clinic.

To find out more about having an anaesthetic, watch our video which shows you what happens when you come in for an anaesthetic at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Useful websites

If you are coming into hospital for an anaesthetic, you can find out more information from the websites below.

The Royal College of Anaesthetists has good downloadable and printable information about anaesthetics for children, young people and parents including.

Rees Bear has an anaesthetic: a story for younger children about having an anaesthetic

Davy the Detective: finding out about anaesthetics

General anaesthesia: a brief guide for young people