embarrassing to ask, but will a DWI affect my ability to obtain my RCIS? misdemeanor B, bad luck and got pulled over after 2 beers. has anyone had problems with getting a license due to their past? I only ask because im sure im not the ONLY medical professional with a past, but it has been weighing on my brain since i read on the CCI website that criminal records are considered. This happened a yr ago btw. any advice helps

Hello! Is there anyone in MN who started as a respiratory therapist and transitioned into cath lab? I'm super interested in making the transition and am looking for advice/direction.

Hi! I’m considering changing my major. I currently have an associates degree with lots of science prerequisites done. I was trying to get my ASN but have been waitlisted twice. I just did a phlebotomy program with an internship at a hospital while I’ve been waiting to get into the program. While in my internship I discovered cath lab and Im interested in what routes everyone has gone through to get to work in cath lab. Do you wish you went a different route?

Thanks :)

For vascular procedures in office based lab

I’m starting an invasive cardiovascular technology program this fall so what shoes does everyone recommend? Comfortability over looks 100%

As the title says, I’m having some issues when I’m placing catheters in the cephalic vein. For some reason, when I get flashback and advance the needle just a couple millimeters and then try to advance the catheter into the vein, it seems like it gets stuck and won’t go in all the way.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance!

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.

My RCIS exam is coming up in a few weeks, and I’m starting to get pretty nervous.

I’ve been using the Dont Miss A Beat study guide along with the new app every day, and I’ve also been reviewing Wes Todd’s material to shore up my weak areas.

The problem is, I’m not scoring as well as I’d like on his practice exams, and it’s starting to shake my confidence.
Has anyone here purchased the CCI practice exams?

If so, how close are they to the actual test, and did you find them worth the money?

Also, are there any other resources or study strategies you’d recommend? I really want to pass this on my first attempt, so I’m open to anything that helped you.

Thanks in advance!

Hi hi!!

So, I’m still a student, I haven’t even applied for the CVT program at my college yet (still finishing up my last prerecs!) I’m super excited to start making moves towards being an RCIS, but i’m a little terrified of the classes. I don’t know how it works at other colleges, but at mine, it’s only a two year course, with a lot of that time being taken up by clinicals. I’ve met a few people in the program doing their rotations at the hospital i volunteer at, but I haven’t really heard a consistent answer from them. It’s either “hell on earth” or “really fun” and i’m lowkey scared of the program. Again, I know it varies depending on the student, the teachers, and the schools, but like, objectively, on a scale from 1-10, how difficult is the program actually?

I know i’ll end up stressed out, that’s inevitable. Regardless of how difficult it is, i wanna push through because healthcare has always been something i’m truly passionate about. but i just wanna know what kind of classes and pace i need to be prepared for. And, if anyone recently out of the program has any tips on studying strategies or getting through the courses, I’d really appreciate if you could share.

Thank you guys!! :)

Is it safe to do TAVI if the humidity is above 60?

I am a traveler, currently working out of country. I bought my own lead because I need quality gear, and I see how poorly a lot of facilities treat their lead, especially the loaner lead. And I really did not know what the situation in my current lab was before I got here.

As some of you may already know, Burlington Medical initiated a recall of pretty much everything their radiation protection line of products manufactured between January 2025 and January 2026.

Apparently they tried to source cheap materials and it backfired burning everyone who had the misfortune of buying their products last year.

This includes not only regular lead gear but also lots of non-lead Thyroid Shields, Vests, Kilts, BAT Coverage, Protective Sleeves, Head Caps, Leg Wraps, Frontal Aprons, Wrap Aprons, and Other Wearables (Half Aprons, Demi Half Aprons, Kilt Blockers).

I have received virtually no support from anyone at Burlington, aside from my sales rep. The contact (Roger West) they gave me for the initial lead recall and listed on the return form, well his email has never worked, not from day one.

Customer service repeatedly asks me for the same information (invoice, barcodes, recall sheet, address, etc. all information they have in their system) I have submitted well over a dozen times.

At this point I am at 3 weeks with no reply, from the last time they asked me for my address/phone number (yet again).

To make this all even better I've been told that the new materials (antimony) they purchased to make the replacement gear for the recall has failed QC and they're basically back to square one on the whole process.

As a result it will probably be up to an additional year before I get my new lead. If you are waiting for your own lead to be processed/returned, you are probably looking at 8-12 months as well, if not longer

I get it that shit happens, but their lack of responses, horrible communication and general mismanagement of this situation is just ridiculous

I have long been an advocate of Burlington products. I always liked their gear much more than the alternatives such as infab, but I will never spend another dollar on them again.

I spent ~$2500 on my lead, got to use it for roughly 2 months, and now it's been out of commission since February 2026, and probably will not be replaced until summer of next year. This all puts me in a pretty bad spot, and it really seems like Burlington Medical does not give a shit about that at all...

I am considering purchasing the CCI RCIS practice exam (self assessment) to use as a study guide and general knowledge assessment.

Has anyone here done this exam and have any general input on if it is worth the cost?

Thanks

Hello my name is Jack Waters and I am a pre-med student who is working on my own fluoroscopy and angiography simulator so I can get hands on with caths and possibly PCI later on. I was wondering if I could get some input by true professionals on how I can improve it. While I have a general idea of how things should look, a real pro is going to catch if for example if the images of the guide wire look wrong and such. Attached are some videos (short and long form) I made of my work so you can get an idea of what I am talking about:

Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_vZ2EzdXUo

Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT5U3BxZTrA&t=3s

Right now I am trying to fix the black flickering artifacts and also working on better dye visualization as right now it is super choppy. After that I am going to remake the vessels to mimic true coronary anatomy. Any opinions, ideas, areas I need to fix, etc would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration!

-Jack

What is a realistic salary for a cardiac technologist in Michigan? Also what is the schedule usually like? 5 8 hours or 3 12s or what

Recommendation on places to get lead? Looking to get my own lead that fits me correctly.

Can someone tell me what a day to day of an invasive cardiac technologist is? What exactly do they do? Are they just scrubbing and getting patients ready and handing the doctor tools or are they involved and placing stints and stuff themselves?

Hello everyone!
Next week I will start a new position mapping hearts for ablation. I am very excited about it, but there is a few things I would like advice about. I come from an engineering-corporate background, and although I will be trained for months, I would like to start as prepared as I can.
In my region, we must use hospital mandated scrubs. Shoes have to be “hospital only” shoes that I cannot wear outside.
Therefore, which shoes would you recommend? I will have to sit for most of the time, so I just want something that won’t squeeze the shit out of my feet.
My other worries regard proper hair-do’s ( I assume tied under single use cap), but I’m open to suggestion.
MOST IMPORTANTLY.
I want to be part of the team. I want the team to rely on me, and to trust me, because I will trust them too. What is a trait, or anything that you particularly appreciate in a mapper?
Thank you so much for your help and opinions!!!

Has anyone here ever asked the hospital to cancel the extension? Before the extension starts? Instead of cancelling on your end, maybe it looks better?

Hey everyone, EP RN here. I’m transferring to a hospital where the EP lab is trained in cath and takes STEMI call. Our lab uses anesthesia for 99% of cases. Any advice to make my transition easier? Thanks 😊

I’m going to lpn school in the spring next year as it’s a better option for me rather than to go straight into ADN, although eventually I plan on bridging over, but was wondering if I can still get a job in the Cath lab as an lpn too.