[ERRNTraveler]

I am currently an ER nurse, and am thinking about switching to Cath Lab when I am done traveling in a year or so. Any cath lab nurses who care to share about your jobs???

What do you like about it? What don't you like? Will my experience as an ER nurse help me out, or are there others things I should do to prepare myself to work in the Cath Lab? Thanks!

[jrmom]

Hi There, I work in a cath lab with 2 labs, do about 17 -20 caths a day and 4-6 angioplasties between the 2 labs. I love my job and have been there about 5 yrs.. It is intriguing, intense, fun, rewarding, stressful and exhausting all in one. You are always learning. Each case is dynamic.
We have lots of ER RNs that have joined us. I think they find it more of a learning curve as it is so specialized on the cardiac component. I came from CCU/ICU background
You need to know your cardiac rhythms. ACLS will help you. You will learn IABPs and the administration of TONS of drugs.

I have to say we do have a high turnover, I personally think it is the "dream job", but it is highly competitive between the nurses??????? ( Anybody else get that at your lab?)

When you have a bunch of RNs with a "zillion"yrs of experience in cardiac specialties, the tensions and attitudes tend to soar.
There is a llot of on call, we do 4 days monday to thurs and 3 days fri -sun for on call. If you get called in, you get 12 hours off after the case, this then puts stress on the day staff to get the labs up and running because you are now down 3 nurses ( on call). This strain is really taking its toll on the staff, our sick time is high, morale down and high turnover. We have no one to replace the RNs off because we have no RN avail to come in. Vicious circle. This is where I work, I dont know what the other labs are like.

You wanted it straight from the hip, there you have it, but I truly do LOVE what I do

[cathmarm]

ERRNTraveler:

I'll hire you. I have been in the cath lab for over 10 years. I left once and then returned 4 years ago to start the primary interventional program. I still take call, 140 hrs every 2 weeks; plus work full time. We don't get time off after working all night. I have personally been up and in the hospital for 40 hrs straight. It is tough, but I would not work in ICU or med surg for a million bucks. LOL. OK maybe for that much in a month.

What I look for in a nurse is:

1. ACLS
2. 12 lead ECG acquisition and recognition,
3. Cardiac assessment/treatment, ACS; CHF; AMI;etc.
4. Hemodynamics (arterial waveform, swan ganz). This is the hardest to teach unless your hospital is big and does a lot of cases where you can learn on the fly.
5. Pathophysiology. To be any good in the cath lab, get a good handle on this
6. Meds, critical care setting
7. Neuro (we do cerebral coils),
8. Renal
9. Peripheral stuff. Know the vascular system in and out.
10. A&P.
11. Excellent computer skills, all our equipment is Windows based. Word document competent, XL document competent, Networking savy. Study the language of the lab, rotablader, pressure wire, intracardiac ultrasound, fluoro, catheters, wires, stents,etc.
12. Intra Aortic Balloon Pumping Skills.
13. Gotta be focused, yet multi-task as well. I have a nurse that has ADD tendencies and it is too scarry to work with.
14. Confidence, independent thinker and acts in the best interest of the patient without fearing what the MD will like or not.
15. An understanding family, they hate the call and will "divorce" you.
16. Communication skills, have to be diplomatic in a very volatile environment.

It is a tough environement, it is competitive, a lot of type A personalities. I love male nurses, they bring balance to the unit, they are good problem solvers.

That is all I can think of on short notice. It is hard and rewarding.


Where are you at? LOL

[ERRNTraveler]

I'm from WI, currently on assignment in San Diego, looking to settle down in FL or somewhere in the South in a year or two. I meet pretty much all of your requirements, except no IABP experience and not much swan-ganz experience, and I'm not a man... Where is your hospital located?

[cathmarm]

We are in Portland, Oregon.
Just for your information, there are IABP classes offered by the ARROW and DATA SCOPE companies, which sell the catheters and pumps. We have them come once a year or more to give us a one day class or a 4 hour refresher. The ICU staff in your Hospital would know about them, better yet, contact the clinical nurse specialist for that unit.
Good luck.