Cardiovascular Business - March/April 2008 - (Page 20) SuBSPECIALTy SPOTLIGHT › By MArJOriE PrEsTON growiNg stroNger EP LAbs Come into Their Own their duties—everything from setting up and sterilizing the lab and insuring that supplies are in place, to learning the types and uses of recording and mapping apparatus as well as catheters and computer software. “Eventually,” says Platia, “they actually put their hands on patients.” A s cardiology evolves, one crucial subspecialty may be growing in demand far beyond the industry’s present ability to provide highly trained, dedicated technicians: electrophysiology. Because electrophysiology (EP) technology is not yet a recognized profession, hospitals have found it difficult to find, hire and retain personnel qualified to work in this area; the lack of professional recognition has also made it hard to set and negotiate competitive salaries. To address the shortage, some physicians and nurses have found it necessary to provide on-the-job, real-time training in EP labs, a less-than-ideal solution that slows the completion of complex procedures and hampers patient through-put. Some facilities have developed ad hoc programs to train technicians, often recruiting cath lab staff to do double duty; others, like Lancaster General Hospital, an acclaimed 518-bed facility in south central Pennsylvania, have designed comprehensive EP internships for electrophysiology technologists. Momentum is increasing toward the advanced training and formal certification of these vital staff members. In March, Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI)—which issued a call in 2006 for credentialing in the discipline—introduced a new entry-level Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist (RCES) credential. Each step that builds strong staff infrastructure in this discipline is a step in the right direction, says Edward V. Platia, MD, director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Center at the Washington Hospital Center, with one of the top five EP labs in the DC-Maryland-Virginia area. “There’s a relative dearth of qualified technicians, so frankly we’ve had to train our own, on-site, in the lab,” says Platia. “As you can imagine, given the full facets of electrophysiology training, it’s a rare occurrence when we get someone who is already experienced—that luxury never really occurs to us.” At Washington Hospital Center—named one of the nation’s best hospitals for heart care and heart surgery by US News & World Report—EP techs new to the job serve as “sort of apprentices,” according to Platia. In the early part of their training, they work alongside senior staff members who shepherd them through Praian Anghiel, Md, a cardiologist specializing in electrophysiology, works on a patient at Washington Hospital Center. 20 Cardiovascular Business March/April 2008
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