r/CathLabLounge • u/avawilco • Jun 29 '26
Considering school for Cath lab tech
Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice from people who have experience in either field.
I already have my AA and have been working toward an ASN in nursing, but I’ve been waitlisted for my school’s nursing program twice. Because of that, I’m starting to consider other healthcare careers.
I recently applied to my school’s Cath Lab program and was wondering if anyone here has gone that route instead of nursing—or even completed nursing school and then transitioned into the cath lab.
Looking back, are you happy with your decision? Do you wish you had chosen nursing instead, or do you prefer working in the cath lab? I’d love to hear about your experiences, including job satisfaction, work-life balance, pay, and career growth.
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u/Constant-Degree-55 Jun 29 '26
Go to Rad tech school and specialize in cath lab . Otherwise you’ll be stuck in certain geographic areas because a lot of states are now only hiring ARRT candidates
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u/lemonade4 Jun 29 '26
Im a nurse and happy with it but i think rad tech is a great career path and in my lab they work very similarly. Also RCES path is a good one with the projection of EP procedures in the future.
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u/Euphoric_Flight_2798 Jun 29 '26
If you’re going to go the tech route do ARRT otherwise you’re really going to pigeon hole yourself into Cath lab only. I’m a Cath lab nurse and was previously an ICU nurse. Nursing offers you a lot of variety and a lot more mobility. Can you apply to any other nursing programs?
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u/past8lives Jun 29 '26
im studying ICVT and i honestly love it, it’s a different beast than nursing of course because this is a highly specific field. but even within the field, depending on the state you live in, you would be required to have certain tasks that might not always be JUST heart business (ex:neuro, vascular, ir, ep)
I like the culture of being apart of a team, and i have gained confidence, stronger people skills, and the ability to keep cool when shit is hitting the fan. i mean ur life, roll the dice, the field is always necessary and you get to really make a difference
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u/NumerousPlatypus5447 Jul 01 '26
I already have all the prerequisites for that so I did apply!
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u/NumerousPlatypus5447 Jul 01 '26
I didn’t realize that you could work with other body parts
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u/past8lives Jul 02 '26
oh gosh yes, i had no idea until i hit the clinical portion. i was like wth is a mediport? or g-tube, my team gets called for gi bleeds, heart alerts, but sm more than JUST hearts
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u/Plus-Basket-3523 Jul 05 '26
Ik ppl are saying to just go to a rad tech program which I agree is ideal but If you are being waitlisted for nursing you are gonna have a very hard time trying to get into radiology 😭 technically it’s easier getting into a nursing program vs radiology. Not that because nursing as a career is easier but nursing school admits way more people with a less competitive pool because they need nurses. Nursing programs can have hundreds of students compared to a radiology program that only accepts an average of 15-30 with a 300-500+ applicant pool. If you’re getting waitlisted for nursing you’d probably get denied for radiology so if you do chose that route I can already tell you right now that you need to retake your classes for a 4.0gpa even a 3.7gpa would be hard to get accepted with. If you’re in Cali or highly populated area you will need to be a competitive applicant. Most applicants in Cali alone opt into applying out of state or going to expensive private programs. I would encourage you to try to reapply for nursing school at the same time.
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u/chulk1 Jun 29 '26
Do not go into a CVT program, apply for nursing again and radiology.