From the fast-paced environment to the incredible diagnostic procedures and treatments you get to perform, you love everything about your job as a cath lab tech.
But lately, you feel like you’ve lost your edge. You wouldn’t trade your career for anything else, but you want a little something extra that makes your heart pump with adrenaline.
Have you thought of challenging yourself as a travel cath lab tech?
Travel cath lab techs embark on a journey throughout the United States, visiting and working in new cities every other month, providing care for patients in underserved areas, and advancing their careers to their fullest! If this sounds exciting, keep reading to learn how to become a travel cath lab tech.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Travel Cath Lab Tech?
- 4 Benefits of Working as a Travel Cath Lab Tech
- How To Become a Travel Cath Lab Tech: A Look at Skills, Qualifications, Demand, and Earning Potential
- Start Your Travel Cath Lab Tech Journey With Pronto
What Is a Travel Cath Lab Tech?
A travel cardiac catheterization lab (cath lab) technologist is a traveling allied health professional who helps cardiologists run diagnostics on patients for heart conditions.
Cath lab techs handle everything from preparing patients for procedures to placing triple-lumen catheters. Other duties you may be asked to perform during your travel assignment may include:
- Preparing patients for cardiac catheterization procedures
- Sterilizing equipment and preparing tray tables with necessary tools and devices
- Assisting in procedures by handing instruments and managing equipment
- Monitoring patient vital signs and comfort levels during the procedure
- Maintaining sterile technique and environment, and following safety protocols
- Providing post-procedure care to patients before unit transfer
- Maintaining detailed patient records and documentation
Travel cath lab techs assist in a various number of cardiac procedures. Depending on the facility you are assigned to, you may be involved in the following procedures:
- Cardiac catheterization
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
- Pacemaker/ICD implantation
- Structural heart procedures
- Vascular procedures
As a travel cath lab tech, you’ll work in different facilities throughout the country, including:
- Hospitals
- Outpatient clinics
- Specialized cardiovascular centers
4 Benefits of Working as a Travel Cath Lab Tech
#1: Traveling
One of the most significant benefits of working as a travel cath lab tech is traveling!
Have you ever wanted to visit a city but couldn’t find the time off or lacked the funds? Or maybe you are just feeling a bit stuck in your current location?
Traveling as a cath lab tech allows you to travel anywhere you want in the United States while getting paid. You can choose from 6, 8, or 12-week assignments, so you’ll have plenty of time to experience your assignment location to its fullest extent.
Are you worried about where you’ll stay while you’re working? Allied health travel agencies, like Trusted Nurse Staffing, will subsidize your travel and lodging expenses so you can focus on work and enjoy your assignment location.
#2: Flexibility
Healthcare is one of the few industries that allow many professionals to control their work options.
When you’re a traveling allied health professional, you get to choose when, where, and how long you work and how much you get paid!
Do you want to try traveling or pick up a few extra shifts at a different nearby facility? Trusted Nurse Staffing can help you find an arrangement that fits your needs and preferences.
Would you like to work back-to-back to increase your earning potential, take a break between assignments to spend time with your family, or go on a real vacation? Easy. Your team at Trusted Nurse Staffing can even help you extend assignments.
#3: Growth
When you’re thrust into new situations that require you to be quick on your feet and adapt, you grow ― as a professional and a person.
Working in a new environment every other month may make you a highly adaptable and persevering healthcare professional who can handle just about any situation.
And who knows? You may get really good at packing a suitcase, too.
With the help of Pronto, powered by Trusted Nurse Staffing, you can quickly get to scrolling through potential travel cath lab tech jobs! Just go to Pronto, sign up, and get scrolling. It’s that easy.
#4: Networking
Traveling healthcare professionals have an excellent opportunity to work alongside the top industry leaders at premier facilities. As you connect and collaborate with these leading minds, your network will grow, and you may even be able to snag a few good references for your resume.
Plus, networking opportunities are not constrained to just career advancement. As a travel cath lab tech, you’ll likely make lifelong friends and allies throughout your travels.
How To Become a Travel Cath Lab Tech: A Look at Skills, Qualifications, Demand, and Earning Potential
Skills
To be successful as a cath lab tech, you may need to have several essential qualities, such as:
- Knowledge of heart anatomy, physiology, and diseases
- Experience handling complex diagnostic equipment
- Endurance to work on your feet for long periods
- Steady hands and manual dexterity
- High attention to detail and organization
- Ability to respond quickly in emergencies
Your role as a cath lab tech may not vary too much while traveling from place to place. However, working as a cath lab tech you’ll need to be:
- Communicative: Healthcare travel workers are often placed in facilities with labor shortages. To thrive, you’ll need to be able to collaborate and communicate effectively with facility staff.
- Adaptable: As a travel cath lab tech you’ll frequently travel to facilities with different layouts, policies, and procedures. This means knowing how to acclimate yourself quickly.
- Patient: Learning new procedures all over again and working with new people may be overwhelming and frustrating at times. You’ll have to afford yourself some patience as you become more familiar with new environments, experiences, and situations.
- Focused: No matter what your shift brings, you’ll need to manage stress while remaining focused and vigilant.
Education
To become a cath lab tech, you must:
- Possess a high school diploma or GED
- Complete an invasive cardiovascular technology (ICT) program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
Most ICT programs result in a two-year associate’s degree in cardiovascular technology, but some may take less time to complete. The eligibility requirements to enroll in a cardiovascular technology program typically include:
- Proof of high school graduation or the equivalent
- Current immunization records
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification
- A clean background check
Certifications
After receiving your degree in cardiovascular technology, you’ll need to become certified. Common cath lab certifications include:
- Registered cardiovascular invasive specialist (RCIS)
- Cardiac interventional radiography (CIR)
- Registered cardiac electrophysiology specialist (RCES)
- Vascular interventional radiography (VI)
Some states may have state-specific licensure requirements that require you to obtain a temporary cath lab tech license before working there. Your team at Trusted Nurse Staffing can help you navigate state-by-state licensing before you accept your contract.
Experience
The more experience you have as a cath lab tech, the more valuable you will be to facilities in highly sought-after locations. Many employers prefer potential candidates to have at least one to two years of experience as a staff cath lab tech.
At Trusted Nurse Staffing, we prefer our travelers to have at least one year of experience. We also prefer candidates who have completed their CEU requirements for the year or are interested in continuing their education.
We even offer certification, CEU, and student loan reimbursement for our employees who go above and beyond to grow in their careers! To be eligible for student loan repayment assistance, you must:
- Be a full-time employee of Trusted Nurse Staffing
- Have a graduate or undergraduate degree from an accredited program
Eligibility kicks in after 30 days of continuous employment with Trusted Nurse Staffing
Demand
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment of clinical laboratory technologists and technicians, such as cath lab techs, is estimated to grow by 5% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations.
This means that, on average, over the next decade, about 24,000 openings for cath lab techs are projected each year.
Earning Potential
The average salary for a cath lab tech is $1,484 per week.
The top eight highest-paying cities for cath lab techs include:
- San Jose, CA: $1,862 per week
- Santa Clara, CA: $1,862 per week
- Fremont, CA: $1,859 per week
- Daly City, CA: $1,855 per week
- San Francisco, CA: $1,855 per week
- Oakland, CA: $1,810 per week
- Berkeley, CA: $1,810 per week
- Hayward, CA: $1,807 per week
You may find cath lab travel tech jobs with higher salaries, depending on where you travel, the facility, and the qualification requirements of the job.
Start Your Travel Cath Lab Tech Journey With Pronto
Are you ready to shake things up by pursuing an exciting career as a travel cath lab tech?
With the help of Trusted Nurse Staffing and Pronto, you can get started on becoming a traveling allied health professional in a matter of minutes!
Here’s how to start:
- Create a profile and sign up on Pronto.
- Get matched with a recruiter who will be your go-to for any questions.
- Get scrolling through potential travel cath lab tech jobs on Pronto.
Once you’ve found a travel cath lab tech job that meets all your qualifications and preferences, we will assign you a Trusted Nurse Staffing support team, which includes:
- Clinical support
- Payroll and compliance experts
- Ongoing assignment advocacy
- And more
Of course, we wouldn’t be the top allied health travel recruiters if we didn’t provide additional benefits, such as:
- A welcome box
- $1500 bonus for referrals (friends or facilities who are not currently working with us)
- An ambassador program where you can receive bonuses for creating content
- Up to $5,250 in student loan reimbursement annually
- And more!
Trust in the most trusted allied health travel agency to get you started on your journey as a travel cath lab tech today!