The smell of sodium hypochlorite, the audible buzz of a surgical lamp, and a direct view of a live, pumping human heart — as a cardiovascular operating room technologist (CVOR tech), you are in your natural element.
You thrive in the OR and your work environment couldn’t get better than this.
Or so you thought.
Traveling as a CVOR tech allows you to explore your passions and the country as you move around delivering high-quality care to areas in dire need of your skills and expertise. Interested in pursuing this exciting career opportunity? Keep reading to find out how you can become a CVOR travel tech.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Travel CVOR Tech?
- 3 Benefits of Working as a Travel CVOR Tech
- How To Become a Travel CVOR Tech: A Look at Skills, Qualifications, Demand, and Earning Potential
- Begin Your Travel CVOR Tech Journey With Pronto Today
What Is a Travel CVOR Tech?
A cardiovascular operating room tech, also known as a CVOR tech, is a surgical technologist who assists surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and other surgical personnel with heart surgeries. Traveling CVOR techs work at facilities that need their services.
As a traveling CVOR tech, you are essentially an extension of a surgeon’s hands and the guardian of the operating room. Your job is to ensure that every operation runs smoothly, even in life-or-death situations. Duties CVOR techs are responsible for include:
- Preparing the surgical site
- Sterilizing equipment
- Maintaining a sterile field
- Passing equipment and instruments
- Performing pre-procedural patient care activities
- And more
Are you interested in pursuing an exciting career as a traveling CVOR tech? Trusted Nurse Staffing offers lucrative job assignments to allied health professionals across the U.S. We created Pronto to help healthcare workers easily find hundreds of potential CVOR travel tech jobs in a matter of seconds.
Check out Pronto to begin searching for jobs or learn more about our Allied Health Travel program.
3 Benefits of Working as a Travel CVOR Tech
#1: Flexibility
The healthcare field is one of the few industries that offers traveling opportunities for its professionals. As a travel CVOR tech, you will have the liberty to choose where you want to work, for how long, and for how much money. Your career is entirely in your hands!
If you want to dip your toes into traveling as a CVOR tech, you could try out a short 6-week contract. If you would like to fit a few more shifts into your work week at a nearby facility while keeping your staff job, you could set your hours and schedule to pick up a few extra shifts when you’re not at your other job.
You can also plan your assignments to make more time for a big vacation or work back-to-back to stack your cash flow.
Traveling as an allied health professional opens up so many new career possibilities, and you are in control at every turn!
#2: Growth
Travel CVOR techs are required to be quick on their feet. Every other month, you’re at a new facility, mapping out the layout, learning new policies, and picking up on implicit workplace etiquette.
It may seem overwhelming initially, but throwing yourself into the unknown and coming out on the other side is how we learn and grow. Your new endeavors and adventures may also deepen your understanding of cardiovascular surgery and improve your skills and knowledge as a CVOR tech.
Plus, traveling often will make you an expert at packing and navigating busy airports, and immersing yourself in new cultures, sights, and experiences may also help you grow as an individual.
#3: Networking
As a traveling CVOR tech, you might be working with some of the top cardiovascular experts in the nation at state-of-the-art facilities. You could be garnering glowing review after glowing review and packing your resume with some pretty impressive references.
You may be surprised how many doors will open for you while gaining experience as a travel CVOR tech. And you may even make a few lifelong friends along the way.
How To Become a Travel CVOR Tech: A Look at Skills, Qualifications, Demand, and Earning Potential
Skills
Travel CVOR techs have the following traits and skills:
- Adaptable nature: Traveling CVOR techs work in different environments every other month. To keep up, you’ll need to be able to quickly adapt to your new surroundings.
- Extensive knowledge of cardiovascular anatomy: As a travel CVOR tech, you’ll need a deep understanding of the cardiovascular system, including the heart and blood vessels, to assist effectively in surgeries.
- Mastery of antiseptic techniques: In this role, you are responsible for being an expert at maintaining strict aseptic techniques to prevent infections.
- Quick reflexes: CVOR techs need to be able to respond quickly and effectively to any complications or emergencies that arise during surgery.
- Collaborative and communicative personality: CVOR techs work closely with surgeons, nurses, and other healthcare professionals in an environment where effective communication is required for patient safety and procedural success.
- Detailed documentation capabilities: Accurately documenting surgical procedures, instrument usage, and patient information is vital in this position.
Education
To become a CVOR tech, you must:
- Possess a high school diploma or GED
- Complete a surgical technology program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
The type of program you complete may vary in length and type. Common credentials include:
- A diploma in cardiovascular technology from a university, hospital, or clinic
- An undergraduate certificate in cardiovascular technology
- An associate degree in cardiovascular technology
- A bachelor’s degree in cardiovascular technology
Some employers may prefer their CVOR techs to hold an associate’s degree or higher.
Do you want to advance your education as a surgical tech but do not know where to start? Trusted Nurse Staffing offers student loan, CEU, and certification reimbursements in our robust benefits package.
Certifications
After completing your education, depending on the state, you may need to become certified or licensed. As a travel CVOR tech, you may also need to obtain these certifications to work in different locations.
Many CVOR techs start out as general surgical technologists before completing additional certifications specializing in cardiovascular surgery.
General certifications for travel CVOR techs include:
- Certified Surgical Technologist (CST)
- Tech in Surgery-Certified (TS-C)
- Certified Surgical First Assistants (NBSTSA-CSFA)
- Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification
Demand
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment demand for surgical assistants and technologists is projected to grow 5% faster than the average occupation from 2022 to 2032.
This means there will be an average of 8,600 openings for surgical assistants and technologists, like CVOR techs, each year over the next decade.
Earning Potential
According to Salary.com, travel cardiovascular surgical technologists make an average of $2,751 per week. The amount you make as a travel CVOR tech may depend on the assignment, facility, and your level of experience, education, and expertise.
The top ten highest-paying cities for CVOR techs include:
- District of Columbia: $3,061 per week
- California: $3,034 per week
- New Jersey: $3,015 per week
- Massachusetts: $2,993 per week
- Washington: $2,965 per week
- Connecticut: $2,954 per week
- Hawaii: $2,874 per week
- Rhode Island: $2,872 per week
- Maryland: $2,836 per week
- Minnesota: $2,814 per week
Begin Your Travel CVOR Tech Journey With Pronto Today
So, are you ready to begin your career as a travel CVOR tech?
With the help of Trusted Nurse Staffing and Pronto, you’ll have access to hundreds of different allied health travel positions at the click of a button!
Here’s how to start:
- Sign up for Pronto.
- Get connected with a recruiter who will help you through the contract process and answer any of your questions.
- Search on Pronto for travel CVOR tech job listings that meet your qualifications and preferences.
Once you’ve found the perfect assignment, we’ll assign you a team of support professionals, who will include:
- Clinical support
- Payroll and compliance experts
- Ongoing assignment advocacy
- And more
With Trusted Nurse Staffing, we’ll have your back on anything related to your assignment or contract.
Additional perks included in your partnership with Trusted Nurse Staffing include:
- A welcome box
- $1,500 bonus for referring your friends or a facility already not employed with us
- An ambassador program where you can receive bonuses for creating interesting content about your experience as a Trusted Nurse Staffing travel professional
- And more
Begin your exciting journey as a travel CVOR tech with the help of Trusted Nurse Staffing and Pronto today.