Cardiac Cath prep & recovery

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I have a job offer to work PRN in the cardiac cath prep & recovery unit. I have an ER and med/surg background. The unit supports 4 cath labs and also takes some surgical procedure patients and obs patients (stress tests etc).

What do I need to know about this environment going into the job?

Have you transferred to cath lab from recovery? How easy was your transition?

Thanks in advance.

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

I did cath prep and recovery for 3 years. At this particular hospital, one needed ICU experience to transfer to cath lab, which I did not have. Nor was I willing to work .9 noc shift for 2 years to get said experience.

With your ED experience, however, they might take you. Seems to be a sweet gig: 1 patient at a time, a doctor present, and usually two imagining techs. Reasonable hours, occasional call, no scheduled shifts on weekends or holidays.

It can be pretty cookie cutter, except for those moments of sheer terror when your patient is infarcting, and is within a hairbreadth of dying.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Thanks for your reply. The manager is a 20 year veteran of the ED and also manages the cath lab. I would say my chances are good I think.

[KevTN]

I work in the Cath and EP labs. It can be the best job in the world and the worse lol. Best is when someone comes in infarcting and you see them recover right in front of your eyes. It is a technical area and once you gain the confidence of the physicians the good ones will treat you as a team member. You can't be thin skinned though...Good luck

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I did take the job (zero hours). I will be working for the extended recovery side. So not very critical or as cool. But I'll take it, and maybe move to cath lab later.