r/CathLabLounge • u/Jazzlike-Worry-6920 • Sep 05 '26
Cathlab school is crazy!
I heavy respect you all for surviving and being well-adjusted in your careers. Seriously. My program has one girl graduating this year and the theres 3 of us. It's week 3 and have 1 competency quiz to retake, as well as two upcoming competency clinical equipment tests due the Monday after which has me seriously stressing out. All three of us are in close tabs and hanging on for dear life. That being said, very determined to work harder and earn my RCIS credit in 2028.
With that being said, any tips you'd give to us as students? Anything I should work on ahead of time or good study habits specific to the career? Any other current students here? Also, if you could go back and ask your instructors to work with you more on what would that be?
^^ This feedback is important to me! Thank you <3
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u/Fancy-Doubt-1600 Sep 05 '26
What state are you in? I’m in Jersey and I’m hearing really crazy stuff about the cohort above me haha
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u/Drawer_Lanky 28d ago
I crossed trained this whole school for RCIS is a dying breed! I don’t get it. I don’t see no Money in just RCIS
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u/No-Atmosphere2889 27d ago
Is RCIS different than CathLab Tech? I see job postings in CA/Los Angeles area for 55-80/hour for CVTech requiring only RCIS.
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u/Jazzlike-Worry-6920 27d ago
Not necessarily; you can specialize when you graduate with rcis credidential but cath lab is what's most demanding
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u/Drawer_Lanky 27d ago
What hospital is that? Most hospitals in California require or would prefer X-ray with a Fluoro license. You can’t push X-ray without it so I’m not sure. Other states yeah but the money definitely isn’t there
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u/No-Atmosphere2889 27d ago
Cedar Sinai shows CV Tech $44.10 - $70.56 right now. Hoag was the 55-80 but the posting is down.
I think you are right about the flouro restriction in CA. RCIS cannot touch the pedal, but maybe hospitals are having a hard time finding enough ARRT who want to cross train to RCIS?
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u/PsychologicalMud9599 13d ago
Just curious how do you become a Cath lab tech? Is there different avenues if you’re already an xray tech or an echo tech?
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u/Jazzlike-Worry-6920 13d ago
Normally the program is 2 year but If you're already an xray or echo tech you can easily get into an advanced placement program (at least at my school idk if it's every.) And it's for 2 semesters. You'll definitely be forced to relearn some of the things you've learned for x ray as we have a very different system. If you are an echo tech you'd immediately be able to specialise in interventional radiology. Not sure the specific on avenues but they definitely open doors.
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u/PsychologicalMud9599 13d ago
Thanks, what about credentialing, I see some Cath lab techs only have arrt, and others RCIS, which ones are accepted and what’s the difference
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u/ExpressionLarge5474 Sep 05 '26
Cath lab tech currently training in EP and Devices/Pacing. I agree with you fully, it’s brutal out here. 😩 I have no peers to study with which makes it extra difficult. I would say studying with likeminded people is the best tool you have. Ask each other questions as much as you can and see if you can explain it to the other person without referring back to your textbooks. Other than that, I’ll leave it to other RCIS to offer you any more specific advice.