Developing and Implementing a Standardized Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Orientation Program: Improving Staff Preparedness

The cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) is a highly specialized procedural environment that requires an effective orientation process for nurses and radiology technologists. Leaders at a health care network identified the need for a standardized CCL orientation program when high turnover rates and staff shortages created a need to hire nurses and radiology technologists with no CCL work history. A group of CCL leaders and perioperative educators collaborated to create and implement a network-wide CCL orientation program. The program is an instructor-led course conducted over three eight-hour days with a cumulative exam at the conclusion. Content includes evidence-based best practices for procedural areas and CCL-specific content. Over two cohorts, there were a total of eight participants. Initial evaluations of the CCL orientation program indicated that a standardized orientation program in the health care network was feasible and beneficial for novice nurses and radiology technologists in the catheterization laboratory practice setting.