cath lab job

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Specializes in Med-Surg /Cardiac Step-Down/CICU/CTICU.

hi,

so i currently have 5 yrs-nights exp under my belt. med/surg, cardiac stepdown, ccu. relocated and now in new hospital, now 5 months in open heart unit. honestly i don't love open heart, prefer my medical cardiac patients any day, but wanted to see the surgical side and management. there is a cath lab job opening-same hospital. thinking of applying.

any info or advice from cath lab nurses? now that the opportunity is here i would like to see if it could happen. how is taking call? it is a days/eve position which will be so much better for me than day/nights rotating that i'm doing now. the only factor is that is about 40 min to get to work and i'm not sure if that will be against me, b/c i know they would want you to the lab w/in 30 min.

thanks to all who reply !

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Specializes in Cath Lab/ ICU.

Before you seriously consider this job know this: you *absolutely* need to be able to respond within 30 mins. I'm talking, 3am, dead of night, get dressed, drive to work, park, run in, and clock in. 30 mins.

Now, I'll say this, do you really live that far out? I live 23 miles away form work and have made it in 18 mins. You'd really be surprised how fast you can make it to work. Give it a try sometime.

On to the good stuff. The cath lab is AWESOME! so fun. I actually thought I hated nursing and that I would never find my niche.

Its a mixture of critical thinking skills, sterile technique, critical care, emergency care, and high level skills. You mix your own meds, care for very critical patients, anticipate the needs of the patient and dr, and become part of a real team. I mean, the cath lab is teamwork at its best, we are a family.

Its also the busiest I've ever been. My ICU days were a breeze compared to the work I do in cath lab!

Some days I am there all day wearing the lead, on my feet, then getting called in at 3am, only having to stay all day doing it all over again. I actually did that last month. By the time we were done with our am STEMI, it was time to start our morning. And since I was still on call for the next day, I had to stay all day. It can be exhausting.

There is no betteer place to work! :heartbeat

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I don't work cath lab, but our cath lab sounds just as CLL RN described. Our cath lab is is awesome! Some of the smartest nurses I know. They really are a TEAM!

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

It is a great team.

Call depends on the staffing at your hospital. If they do non-interventional caths only, you wouldn't do call. Since you guys so cardiac surgery at your hospital, I am assuming that you have a team available 24hrs a day. We have to do call about once a week and then once every 6-8th weekend. We also had call rooms with a bed and a bathroom (with shower) for staff that live more than 30 minutes away, so they can stay the night.

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Specializes in Cath Lab/ ICU.

Wowzers! Sounds great aneroo! I have to take 15 call days/month. 9-10 weekdays and 4-5 weekend days per month. No call room either...

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Specializes in ICU, SICU, Burns, ED, Cath lab, and EMS.

Hi everybody,

I have been a CCL the last twelve years. It has been the best job choice in my career. I enjoy the teamwork and the long hours. In other specialities, its you and your patients, CCl you all have a responsibility for the patient. Currently, I am traveling and working in labs with nurse shortages. Its interesting to see how different groups get along. Also its fun to meet different people.I don't foresee changing from this speciality.

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Specializes in Cath Lab/ ICU.

Skip, how do you like traveling as a CCL nurse???

That's my ultimate goal, but I need a little more time.

How are these labs that are understaffed? Do you have to take tons of call, or is that something you work out in your contract. Do they treat you like a part of their team?

Tell me more!

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Specializes in ICU, SICU, Burns, ED, Cath lab, and EMS.

Hi,

I really like traveling because of the new people you meet and new places. You don't have to deal with the politics of each place. Added benefit, you make more than most of the managers due to the perdeim and housing allowances. Some places are looking for a nurse or some have lost multiple nurses. The first couple of weeks the tech observe you to see what you know. After you prove yourself, you are accepted. I am pretty flexible and easygoing. I adapt to each CCL way of doing things. I try to take on extra call, but most places want it to be fair. My current place I take as much call and stay late b/c of finances. My family doesnt travel with me, so there is not much else to do. There are travel jobs in most states for CCL nurses with 2-3 yrs of expererience.

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Specializes in Cath Lab/ ICU.

Fantastic! Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I take 15 days of call routinely, so I'm cool with call. Just nervous that I won't be ready to do so quickly.

I've got another year of experience to do before I'm travel ready, but I'm soooo looking forward to it!

Thanks for the info!

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Specializes in ICU, SICU, Burns, ED, Cath lab, and EMS.

The hospitals are looking for nurses who are hard working and able to walk into most situations and manage it. It takes some time but it helps to love the job.

skip

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Wowzers! Sounds great aneroo! I have to take 15 call days/month. 9-10 weekdays and 4-5 weekend days per month. No call room either...

:eek::eek: OMG I can't IMAGINE taking that much call! I thought I took a lot, I usually took 1-2 nights a week and one weekend a month. Our call requirements were 1 weekend and 5 weekdays every 6 weeks, but bonus call was lucrative so I signed up.

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Specializes in Cath Lab/ ICU.

Sounds wonderful!!

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