Has anyone worked in a cardiology group office?

[JeniRN]

I was considering applying for a job in a cardiology group office. Hospital nursing is beginning to burn me out, and I was looking for a change. So, Was wondering if any of you have ever worked in one, and if so if you liked it! Thanks!

[amy14]

Before I was a LPN I worked at Cardiovascular Consultants in Missouri in the medical records department. We had 8 doctors and the office stayed VERY busy. I was not uncommon for patients to wait hours to be seen. Of course it was either wait or drive 3 hours away to the next city with cardiologists. I really liked working there though. I love cardiology. I'm working in the hospital right now as a LPN and have thought about going back to the office when i get my RN next month. If you work in a hospital you'll likely not mind the fast pace, but other than that, it really wasn't much different from other doc's offices.

[GoodNP]

Hi Jeni,

I've worked in a large cardiology practice for the past seven years, after working tele and CICU for four years. I work directly for one of the doctors, not for the entire group. As such, I am an extension of the physician. There is a lot to learn in a cardiology office: how to prescribe/titrate warfarin, how to run stress tests, more in depth ECG interpretation, HTN guidelines, CHF guidelines, how to interrogate pacemakers, how to better distinguish cardiac chest pain from non-cardiac chest pain (I mean, c'mon, we can't send EVERYBODY to the ER), how to treat lipid panels, all about valves and murmurs, PAD, and a more advanced cardiovascular exam. In my role I also assist with hospital rounds, which helps keep me exposed to critical care. Finally, we do clinical research at my site, which is very interesting and good experience to add to your resume. I believe this has been good experience to prepare me for becoming a nurse practitioner.