Hi! Are there any Cath labs where the RN follows the pt from pre-procedure, procedure, to post procedure?
Our director wants our department to go in this direction in the next five years.
Any thoughts??
What is the standard for cleaning rooms in the Cath lab? Are Cath lab staff doing it or is EVS called?
Need help with GE cardiolab, need to figure out how to use pattern matching on GE, I know it’s possible, please help, I’m the only EP tech in my hospital
Nurse managers/Cath Lab/PACU/Recovery nurses — how does your unit handle on-call for a cardiac recovery/pre-op/post-op recovery unit?
Looking for outside perspective with an On-Call dilemma I’ve been wrestling with.
I manage a Cardiac Recovery Unit (pre/post cath and EP procedures) alongside our Cath Lab and EP Lab. The CRU has an on-call expectation that technically existed before I took over, but wasn’t enforced. The expectation was the Cath Lab team would call in the recovery team if the ended up needing them, for recovery (I.e hospital is full, no ICU beds, etc.) When I became manager, I started holding staff to it: two nurses on call one night a week plus one weekend a month, with on-call pay. The reason I did this was because in my first month, I received a call over the weekend a couple weeks ago from physicians and staff that the Cath Lab team shouldn’t be holding patients because we had another emergency in ED (another STEMI). I completely understood, and I want to provide the best care to all of our patients, and delaying a case like that wasn’t allowing for that.
The rationale to me felt solid on paper: patient safety, specialized post-procedural care, and door-to-balloon times, etc.
But the reality is I’ve lost two nurses since enforcing it — one directly cited the call requirement, the other wanted more predictable work-life balance. Morale on the topic is shaky. Also my boss told me to go back to the way it was. I felt strongly about my recovery nurses coming in, but I am also very open to other suggestions and ideas.
Was it wrong to change it?
Things I’m doing: tracking actual call-in utilization to show staff how often they’re really coming in, and possibly adding a scheduled late day for two CTU nurses to offload some of the call demand.
My questions for you all:
If you run or work on a similar unit, how is your call structured? Is call even standard for prep/recovery units where you are?
Have you found ways to make call more palatable?
At what point does turnover cost outweigh the coverage benefit? Am I holding the line on the right thing, or dying on the wrong hill? I’m really just working to try and make this a better place for patients and my team.
Not looking for validation either way — genuinely want to hear how other places balance this. Thanks in advance.
I am new to the cath lab I am also a new paramedic that has just started in the cath lab. I am really struggling with scrub aspect. I feel like I’m so bad at this 😬 I spent 6 years working 911 as a EMT for a fire department and am having a rough adjustment.
My question is how long did it take you to feel like you understood work flow on simple cases. The manifold is the death of me and it’s been about a month and I still need coaching on when we’re exchanging a wire or catheters and pulling back blood and flushing and all that. Others were hired at the same time and have really take to it.
So question is how long did the process in confidence and competence take?
Hi all, I am in a non—invasive echo sonography program, but my school advertises itself as a school of cardiovascular technology (Eastwick College). Often I see on job listings in my area (NY/NJ) that an associates in radiology or Related fields would be accepted, would a degree in Cardiovascular Sonography still make me competitive for a role in a Cath lab?
Additionally, I was just wondering if anyone has made this jump from echo sonography to working in a Cath lab. I would love to hear any advice or tips to begin to working in the field from a non traditional path.
Hi everyone,
I am a first-year internal medicine resident and work part-time as a cath lab nurse in Ukraine. During quieter moments on my shifts, I review anonymized angiograms from procedures performed by the fellows and attending physicians in my department. I do this to improve my understanding of coronary anatomy and interventional decision-making.
One recent case left me unsure about how to interpret the angiographic result.
The patient was a 70-year-old man who presented with an extensive anterior STEMI complicated by cardiogenic shock. He was initially classified as SCAI stage C but deteriorated to stage D during the procedure. The team initiated mechanical circulatory support with an IABP early in the case and escalated to VA-ECMO after PCI.
When I first reviewed the angiograms, it appeared to me that angioplasty restored flow in a large diagonal branch (2), while the LAD itself may have remained occluded. When I asked the attending about this, he explained that he had interpreted the treated vessel as the LAD.
He is the most experienced and technically skilled operator in our department, and I do not want this post to sound disrespectful or accusatory. I am at the beginning of my training, so I fully recognize that I may be misinterpreting the anatomy or overlooking an important angiographic detail. This was also an extremely high-pressure case involving rapidly worsening cardiogenic shock, where decisions had to be made quickly.
I am sharing the case strictly for educational discussion, not to criticize the operator or assign blame. I would be grateful for insights from people with more experience in coronary angiography and PCI:
I would particularly appreciate explanations of how you approach this type of anatomy rather than judgments about the individual operator.
Thank you all in advance for your insights!
All anonymized angiograms (case) in this link - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jprJ_J8ZrwVCZOQ93fL4HoLFUm4Zu9cn?usp=sharing
Hey everyone, trying to see what people’s pager pay is. If you work for an Advocate site could you please comment? I’m trying to get ours increased but they say it has to be “system wide”
Thanks!
I’m looking for some opinions because I’m torn between staying in my current position and accepting a Chief Tech role in a busy Cath Lab.
I currently work in a clinical education and support role for an imaging company. I travel throughout the region, support procedures, train hospital staff, and help with Cath Lab and IR workflows. My base salary is $107,000 with a 10% annual bonus. I also receive a company car with insurance, maintenance, tolls, and gas fully covered.
The job is generally less physically demanding than working full time in a lab, and I have a good amount of independence. The biggest downside is the travel. I’m away from home regularly, and my schedule can change
depending on customer needs.
I was offered a Chief Cardiovascular Technologist position at $71 an hour and $10 an hour to be on call. I would be supervising the department, but I would also be working cases, taking call, dealing with emergencies, staffing problems, and the daily stress of a busy Cath Lab.
Another major concern is that I already know the lab and several of the technologists are extremely difficult to work with. Morale and accountability are poor, and I would be walking into a position where I’m expected to manage people who may resist changes or make the job significantly harder.
I’m also recently married, and my wife and I plan to have children within the next year or so. Staying in my current position means continued travel, which could become difficult once we have children. The hospital position would keep me more local, but call, late cases, weekends, staffing shortages, and the overall stress of managing the lab could still interfere with family life.
The Chief Tech position offers considerably more guaranteed income and the possibility of substantial overtime, but I would lose the company car, free gas, and the flexibility of my current role. I would also be returning to the physical and emotional demands of working in the lab.
What would you do in this situation? Stay in the lower paying travel role with better benefits and less daily lab stress, or accept the higher paying leadership position despite the call schedule, difficult staff, and increased responsibility?
I previously worked as an EKG tech nearly 25 years ago, while in school for mechanical engineering. I’ve worked in ME for the last 2 decades. Now, in my 40s, I am interested in returning to healthcare as a technician again.
Has anyone pursued CVT school at this age? I would be interested in obtaining RCIS and working in a Cathlab but open to hear opinions from everyone on how realistic of a goal this is.
This is what I’m thinking of going to school for
Cardiology technology
I’m wondering where would I be working ?
Do many work in hospitals 3 12 hr shifts a week ? Or is it more 9-5 type of job in docs office ? Or life labs ?
I’m in Vancouver BC Canada
I have a BSc and RCIS and have worked in both hospital and outpatient settings. I’m looking to explore career paths outside of the cath lab, other than becoming a medical device rep.
I’m open to going back to school for a master’s degree if that would help with the transition.
For those who have made a similar career change, what paths or roles would you recommend exploring? I would especially appreciate hearing from people who have transitioned out of the cath lab.
Hey everyone! I am starting in the Cath Lab in a couple weeks. I currently work on a cardiac surgery/transplant PCU and previously a cardiac clinic, and then before that a small ICU that dealt with IAPBs, pressors, fresh open heart surgeries, post MI cases etc. However, it’s been awhile since I was in the ICU setting and don’t remember too much of it (hopefully it all comes back). What, if anything, would you recommend I look into/educate myself in before starting? Orientation is 12 weeks but I really want to set myself up for success for this transition. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!
Currently a CCL nurse but have been enticed with the idea of the tech role. Any thoughts?
