By Shelly Chancey, RN, CCDS

When the time comes to hire a new member of the device team, one of the many decisions to be made is whether to hire an experienced device nurse, or technician, or find a suitable candidate and train them.

As with any choice, there are pros and cons. An experienced device nurse, or technician, presumably comes equipped with their own knowledge of devices as well as professional experience. This skilled candidate has experience in the field of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Also, it is reasonably assumed this person has practical knowledge of implantable cardiac devices. An experienced candidate should be able to contribute to the team at an early point in their employment.

Conversely, a registered nurse or potential technician with no device experience will require significantly more resources. One of the main ones would be the investment of time. Many times, however, the choice of candidate may not be up to the clinic. The choice may simply come down to two factors. These are the available applicants and what a company is willing to financially invest in a potential employee.

Pros And Cons

A definite ‘pro’ of training a new device staff member is that this person comes on board with no preconceived expectations. This person is starting from scratch in terms of the device world. In many circumstances, this could be considered a con. But, if you find a RN with a solid cardiac background and a willingness to learn, then provide them with a realistic organized training strategy, they will flourish. A major ‘con’ of training new device personnel is increasing this person’s marketability when investing in their learning. In my opinion, the answer to this predicament is stated best by Sir Richard Branson . “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t have to”.

As part of our interview process, we make it clear to the interviewing candidate that our device service will make every effort to provide what is needed for them to succeed.  Our intent to invest our time and resources to train them is made open and clear. This is done regardless of the applicants’ level of technical experience. It’s made clear to the inexperienced candidate that this device journey they are proposing to embark on will require significant commitment on their part. We let them know in the first interview that is our expectation of it taking at least a year for them to acquire a fundamental understanding of CIEDs and the standard practices of our device service. Additionally, it is made known that we will provide adequate time for them to study and learn at work.

Training

In our device service, one lone person does not train the new staff member. Our entire device team is invested and participates. Training is provided by EP physicians, the device manager, device nurses, and the technician. Training of a new device staff member requires buy-in by all members of the team. Using our clinic’s established standards of practice as well as educational resources provided by industry, our device service has organized a learning plan that helps provide foundation of device knowledge for the new team member. A defined learning plan enables all members of the device service to participate in assisting with the new team members’ learning experience.

The new staff member studies and completes specific topics during work hours. Each topic is then reviewed during a weekly meeting. This weekly education reinforcement is provided by our device EP team. The meeting includes additional educational materials to reinforce each topic. Additional review materials include device research studies, review of remote and in-person interrogations, and additional educational power points created/provided by our EP physicians. In our clinic, our EP physicians play a fundamental role in the training of a new device nurse.

Learning Plan

The learning plan shaped by our device service also provides the added benefit of free CEUs. This is quite beneficial for the RN trainee. Currently our device learning plan enables a new device nurse to obtain at least 20 free CEUs within the first 6 months of training. Additionally, all our nurses have the opportunity to earn free CEUs by attending monthly ‘Journal Club’. In these one-hour sessions, our EPs and general cardiologists present and discuss published articles on various cardiology topics.

Our learning plan utilizes educational materials and resources provided by industry. Medtronic Academy (https://www.medtronicacademy.com) and Boston Scientific Educare (https://educare.bostonscientific.eu) are important for initial staff training. Industry has also assisted by providing clinic coverage when needed, and additional educational resources as requested. Also, continued education of new algorithms, new devices and updated remote monitoring options are provided regularly by industry. Eventually, our trainees are encouraged to take the IHBRE certification exam. This provides them with the confidence and skills necessary to have a successful career in cardiac device management. We anticipate that they will not be ready to take this exam before spending at least 2 years in clinical device management.

Partnering with CV Remote Solutions

Our partnership with CV Remote Solutions has been greatly beneficial to our device service. CVRS was able to swiftly integrate into our remote service and provide needed support to our clinic during a time of unexpected staff illness while we were also experiencing expected staff growth. Incorporating CVRS into our daily process was easy, the flexibility offered generous, and the quality of remote interpretation outstanding.

Shelly Chancey, RN, CCDS

Shelly Chancey, RN, CCDS is the device service manager for Alabama Cardiovascular Group, PC an affiliate of Grandview Health in Birmingham, Alabama where she supervises the pacemaker/ ICD clinic. She has trained numerous staff members during her tenure and has been a cardiology nurse for over 20 years. She enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 teenage children. Chancey is also collaborating with peers from around the country to bring device clinic education resources to clinics without adequate staffing to manage the growing device patient population through CV Remote Solutions PC. To learn more about device clinic staff resourcing, staff education, device clinic optimization, and remote monitoring services, visit our website here or email us at info@cvremotesolutions.com.

Ó CV Remote Solutions PC, 2020, All rights reserved.