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Non-physician Cardiology CE 2020 Slate Announced

Posted on by Kurt Jensen
ACVP Cardio Conference Schedule Announced: Non-physician Cardiology CE in 2020

The Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals is excited to announce its upcoming slate of cardiology CE 2020 conferences for non-physician professionals. ACVP's mission is to bring the best low-cost, cardiology-specific continuing education directly to non-physician professionals around the United States.

Registered nurses and radiologic technologists often struggle to find quality cardiac-specific continuing education, as many of their CE resources are relevant to other specialties. ACVP seeks to solve that problem. And while cardiovascular technologists do not face the same issue in finding relevant education, ACVP remains a major provider of high quality continuing education for cardiovascular technologists.

ACVP is the only organization serving exclusively non-physicians in all cardiology specialties.

ACVP regional meetings provide a unique opportunity for registered nurses, radiologic and cardiovascular technologists to earn CEUs for cardiac-specific education in a preferred, in-person format. Excellent speakers offer timely content relevant to practice in your area, and attendee reviews are consistently stellar.

Dual-credentialed professionals, RT/RCIS or RN/RCIS, love our education for providing them with CEs applicable for both credentials. All ACVP conferences provide continuing education recognized by Cardiovascular Credentialing International, the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists and all State Boards of Nursing.

Planned Slate of Regional Cardiology CE 2020 Conferences

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Benefits of Mentorships in Cardiovascular Services

Posted on by Zack McElgunn
Mentorship Matters

Collaborative partnership and mentorship are practices woven through the development of modern medicine from antiquity to the present day. Diverse “lineages” dapple medical history, as scientists, innovators, and scholars have passed on their knowledge, discoveries, and the driving curiosity in which their pursuit of medical progress is grounded. Mentorships in cardiovascular services, for example, have launched innovations, developed personal excellence, and spread quality best practices.

In today’s environment, which is characterized by increasing specialization and a wide array of assisting clinicians and other professionals, the role of mentorships has never been more important or had more potential to shape the way healthcare is taught and delivered. But the amount of time and effort involved in developing and maintaining mentorships can be significant, and with the continued advancement and development of professional curricula, some may see the “above and beyond” nature of mentorships as burdensome.

Drawing on a few recent studies examining mentorship, testimonials from professionals who have participated in mentorship programs, and our own experience in the world of mentor-mentee relationships, this blog series seeks to answer some important questions about mentorships in cardiovascular services. Firstly, why are mentorships in cardiovascular services valuable? What are the benefits of mentorship to mentors and mentees?

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Will the Cath Lab of the Future be Radiation-Free?

Posted on by Kurt Jensen

Radiation safety has been a hot topic for continuing education in recent years, but will the cath lab of the future feature fluoroscopy at all? This blog takes a look at future technology developments that may drastically reduce radiation exposure for professionals in the cath lab, or eliminate ionizing radiation altogether.

Growing Recognition of Need for Radiation Safety

Widespread recognition of the need for radiation safety has ballooned due to a confluence of factors. On one hand, advancements in what can be done via percutaenous coronary intervention in the cath lab have introduced longer and more involved procedures which increase the risks of radiation exposure for both patients and clinicians.

On the other hand, experts like Dave Fornell of the publication Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology rightly point out that the impact of long-term radiation exposure in interventional cardiology is only just now coming to light, 30 years after the subspecialty's inception. In 2015, for example, we published a blog series about non-physician professionals in the cath lab reporting more work-related pain due to wearing radiation protective gear.

A proliferation of best practice resources now exist to help clinicians reduce radiation exposure, like the 2018 Expert Consensus Document on Optimal Use of Ionizing Radiation in Cardiovascular Imaging, or the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Inteventions (SCAI)'s Quality Improvement Toolkit resource on radiation safety.

Of course, these resources are reflective of the status quo, and not predictive of the cath lab of the future—or even the near future—an environment where new technology may drastically reduce radiation used or eliminate the need for ionizing radiation entirely.

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Revamped Cardiology CE for Technologists, RNs

Posted on by Kurt Jensen

We've updated our online, on-demand continuing education platform to better serve cardiovascular professionals! We now host cardiology CE natively on the Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals website with an overhauled and much improved user experience connected to your ACVP membership account.

On-demand Cardiology CE: CVCEU by ACVP

While cardiovascular technologists are used to finding education relevant to their specialty, it can be harder for registered nurses and radiologic technologists working in cardiac care environments to find quality online continuing education approved for them.

It's ACVP's mission to provide high quality continuing education to cardiovascular technologists, registered nurses AND radiologic technologists working in ALL cardiac specialties. Our new continuing education platform will further that mission with an easy-to-use interface and more educational content to come.

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