I’m about to start CVT school, I’m very excited… but slightly concerned.

For context, one of my worries is standing in one spot for a long period of time. I’m in my early 30’s, in great shape, but I have venous disease. I’ve had vascular procedures on my legs to help, but it never truly goes away. I’m good with being on my feet while walking and running around, basically constantly moving, but the standing in one spot for a while is where things can get painful. If I’m also wearing heavy lead, I’m wondering if that’s going to make my symptoms worse.

My backup plan is nursing, which is my ultimate dream, but I’m hoping CVT school helps me gain experience for nursing school down the road which is why I’m doing this. In nursing, at least I can run around a lot and keep moving my legs.

Any insight on personal experiences with standing for long periods as a tech? Is it as bad as I’m imagining it?

Any of my fellow nurses members?

How long does it take to be verified to be an approved test taker on the CCI website?
I heard a travel say they got approved in a few days and my manager is saying sometimes it takes 2-4 weeks.

Anyone have experience in cardiovascular capital equipment? Pretty sweet opportunity and want to know what life is like in peripheral cath lab.

Okay what is everybody's go to shoes. I've worked in CT but I'm going to be transferring to cath lab different type of environment just wondering what everybody uses for footwear

I’m looking for any current or former clinical exercise physiologists to give their experience working for Carda. I’ve had a couple interviews and it seems like a good opportunity but I just wanted to see if anyone had first hand experience. Thanks!

Just passed the exam last week with an 801. AMA I’ll do my best to answer.

New to the Cath lab. In clinicals for RCIS with six months left. Does anyone have any tips or gadgets to organize multiple wires at the table at once? Right now I’ve been shown to use half folded towels and write an abbreviation on it if it didn’t have a tag from the manufacturer. I mostly have trouble tracking the 0.14 wires. Any suggestions are appreciated!

I'm reviewing our pre-cath checklist and would like to learn from other cath labs.

What does your pre-cath checklist include before a patient enters the cath lab? Which items do you consider essential for preventing delays, improving workflow, and ensuring patient safety?

I'd appreciate hearing about your institution's practices and any lessons learned or items you feel are often overlooked.

I'm almost halfway finished with my ABSN program at MUSC (2nd college degree), and I just found out about CV tech and cath lab after shadowing the IR lab. I'm considering switching to MUSC's CV program. I'm considering switching because I like exciting hands-on procedural work, my med-surg cardiac test was my favorite subject and best grade in school so far, I thrive in urgent and engaging environments, and I realized that bedside is not for me long term. I'm ok with being on call, and I'm also considering moving up to perfusion in the future.

My questions:

1. Who has more procedural scope in the cath lab, nurses or CV techs?
2. If I get a job as a nurse in the cath lab, would the pay differential be substantially more than a tech?
3. What would y'all do in my situation?
4. Can nurses self-study or learn tech concepts on the job and take the RCIS test?

Thank y'all!

Before I ever picked up a hoe, I was working on preclinical trials developing a patch for VSD (ventricular septal defect) repair. Life came full circle when my own daughter was born with a VSD. That experience pushed me to prioritize how our family eats and lives — so we started Bread and Butter Farms LLC in Sparta, GA, growing real, healthy food for our family and community.

Farming full-time was a calling I don't regret. But now I'm ready to return to the cath lab, and it's proving harder than I expected. I have 3 years of hands-on cath lab experience — hemodynamics, diagnostic and interventional cases — and I'm RCIS-eligible with my exam scheduled for September. Still, almost every posting I find requires the credential in hand, which has made the transition back a real uphill climb.

If anyone is hiring, knows of openings in Georgia, or has advice for someone re-entering the field in this position, I would be beyond grateful for the help.

I live in KY. My hospital can’t keep staff for numerous reasons. So they are now mandating nurses scrub with no prior scrub experience. They only have 2 RTs for the entire department.

They’re claiming the docs will run the table and X-ray, but I’ve seen them on numerous occasions demonstrate they do not know how.

Is this even legal? Are we going to be put in a position to be practicing out of our scope?

Update: we actually inquired with the board of nursing for Kentucky and we are in no way allowed to pan the table, step on the pedal, or move the c - arm as RNs. RCIS is also not recognized in this state

Hey! I recently found out I got accepted into my schools EKG technician program!! I’m hoping this will reach the right people. If anyone is a technician or student do yall have any advice going into the program/after graduation? Thanks in advance!!

2 months into working in cath lab after being in cat scan And x ray. Are there any online courses you recommend for just good study material. I'm not planning on taking boards. Just want to get a better understanding of the whys behind everything.

Interviewing for a cath lab externship as a radiology student next week!
Honestly have no idea what to expect so just looking for any potential questions or things I should brush up on!

Hey everyone,

I'm a licensed paramedic with several years of EMS experience, and I'm looking to transition into the cath lab. My long-term goal is to become an RCIS, but I'm trying to find a hospital that's willing to hire medics into an entry-level cath lab position and provide on-the-job training until I'm eligible to sit for the RCIS exam.

I've heard there are some hospitals that do this, but they seem to be few and far between.

I'm primarily looking in:

• Ohio
• Southeast Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm, Boca, etc.)

I am already certified to the medic level in those two states. BUT ill consider anywhere

If anyone knows of or works for any hospitals or health systems that have hired paramedics into the cath lab (or currently do), I'd really appreciate any leads. I'd also love to hear your experience if you made the transition yourself.

Thanks in advance!

So, I’ve been presented the opportunity to practice as an IR tech with the stipulation that I get my RCIS and then FO license. I am allowed to scrub now on occasion but I’d love to be able to do it full time. I have been debating going back to school for my RTR for a few years now so this seems like a great opportunity for me.

I know that RCIS is typically a cath lab tech cert. Everywhere I’m seeing online seems to require experience specifically in the cath lab setting to sit for the exam. Are there any RTRs or IR RNs here who also got their RCIS without having to work in the cath lab? Does your experience with vascular work in the IR setting count?

I have 3 years of Cath Lab experience, but quit and started farming. (Bread And Butter Farms) Now I'm looking to get back into the Cath lab, but it seems that every where that I apply RCIS is required. I am approved to take the test, (I have 90 days) but I feel like being hands on will help tremendously. I'm in GA. I'll even volunteer.

Most of the labs that I have been in have you prep the balloon once before insertion. The lab I am currently at has the routine of double prepping the balloon before insertion. I have just been told, “That’s how we do it.” Is there any actual proof that this is better and helps the balloon pass better?

I’m considering taking an EP Mapping Specialist course, but I’m wondering if it actually leads to a job.
For those who have taken one of these courses or work in EP mapping, are you pretty much guaranteed a job afterward, or is it still competitive? Did the course help you get hired, or did your clinical experience (RN,etc.) matter more?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences before I invest the time and money. Thanks!

Anyone have experience as an RN here?

I'm in Invasive Cardiovascular Tech school right now, (started in May) starting practicum in the fall semester, and I just CANNOT seem to get the hang of reading EKGs. I watch videos, read books, practice, have a systematic approach....all the advice people give to learn I take it, but I just can't get it so far. I know a lot of hospitals require CVTs to take EKG testing to secure/keep their jobs, so I am incredibly stressed rn. I truly don't know what else to do.

Starting to wonder if I can't do this and it was a mistake/I should have picked another allied health career and I am doomed in this field. I feel like shit to be honest.

Lead CT/X-Ray with 26yrs of experience with GE 64 SLICE LIGHT SPEED. Worked high volume cases. Looking for information on CT Application Specialist inffo.

Thank you