CARDIOVASCULAR INVASIVE SPECIALIST

Technical Standards

Prospective Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist students must possess sufficient strength, motor coordination, and manual dexterity to:  

• Stand and walk for 85% of work time. 
• Reach at or above shoulder level intermittently for 90% of work time. 
• Wear a 20- to 25-pound lead apron for long periods of time
• Lift up to 45 lbs. unassisted. 
• Regularly talk and hear muffled sounds over medical equipment and through surgical masks.
• Transport, move, and/or lift patients from a wheelchair or stretcher to surgical table, Radiographic table or patient bed, and physically assist patients into proper positions for examination.
• Move equipment and/or medication carts.
• Occasionally remain in one position for five to six hours at a time.

Prospective Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist students must:  

• Possess sufficient strength, finger dexterity and flexion to perform finite motor skills. 
• Possess sufficient eye/hand coordination skills related to assisting in interventional and diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. 
• Be able to use senses (vision, hearing, smell and touch) to recognize changes in a patient’s condition and needs. 
• Be able to hear, understand and react quickly to verbal instructions and patient needs, including but not exclusive to hearing codes, alarms, and patient calls. 
• Be competent in equipment configuration and operation. 
• Be able to work in a semi-darkened room for prolonged periods of time. 
• Be able to record and calculate required hemodynamic information and data to contribute to the diagnosis of a patient, following the procedure's standards of speed and accuracy.
• Be able to recognize any condition, whether observed in the invasive cardiovascular procedures or in patient behavior, which may pose an immediate threat to health or life, and react appropriately. 
• Possess these intellectual skills: comprehension, measurement, mathematical calculation, problem solving, reasoning, integration, analysis, comparison, self-expression, and criticism. 
• Possess visual acuity for watching patients’ vital signs and for accurate image acquisition for all echocardiographic examinations.

Health Standards

Prospective Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist students must be able to consistently demonstrate emotional, mental, and physical health in order to:  

• Meet the demands of the position including handling stressful situations related to technical and procedural standards and patient care situations. 
• Provide physical and emotional support to the patient during invasive cardiovascular procedures and be able to respond to situations requiring basic first aid, patient care, and emergency care of the patient in the absence of, or until the physician arrives. 
• Follow directions effectively and work closely with members of the health care community. 
• Carry out all assigned duties. 
• Be able to communicate both verbally and non-verbally in an effective manner with staff, patients, nurses and physicians, in order to explain procedures, give instructions and obtain information. 
• Be competent in patient care and management 
• Be able to discriminate between blacks, grays, and whites, and various color combinations that indicate blood flow on both display devices and recorded images (film and paper).