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Posted on: 6/19/08
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29 cath labs responded to the question below, and emails are included for any questions readers may have regarding a particular lab's policies. If you'd like to join our group, please send an email to cathlabdigest@hotmail.com

Here’s what we are doing in our diagnostic lab in Virginia. We have limited cross-training within the lab. We have 5 nurses, one rad tech and two respiratory therapists. Our rad tech and one of our therapists function as scrub assistants. One nurse is able to fill any role in the lab, and a second nurse is able to scrub in a pinch, but does not do this on any regular basis. Only heparin and nitro SL are given by non-nursing personnel. All staff circulate, but only nurses perform hemodynamic monitoring and do cath teachings. We have dreamed of fully cross-training everyone, but with our case volumes around 500/year and some staff part-time and prn, we have found that competency is an issue. It is a challenge when someone is sick or off on vacation usually the full-time people get slammed. I trained in a lab that was fully cross-trained, but it was started that way. Our lab began with staff roles being designated based on credentials and I think it is tough to come into an existing situation and change. If anyone has experience in this area or advice, I would be glad to hear from you.
Thanks everyone,
Natalie D. Beiler
RMH Cardiac Cath Lab Supervisor
nbeiler@rhcc.com