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RN, Rad & Cardiovascular Technologist Education in 2019

Posted on by Kurt Jensen
Cardiac-specific RN, Rad & Cardiovascular Technologist Education in 2019

ACVP announces slate of early 2019 regional conferences

Cardiovascular professionals, especially RNs and Radiologic Technologists, often struggle to find good cardiac-specific continuing education. At ACVP, we make it our mission to bring the best cardiac-specific continuing education to you. We're excited to announce our slate of regional meetings planned for early 2019, which will provide high quality, inter-professional RN, RT and Cardiovascular Technologist education at a low cost for attendees.

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.

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ACVP Launches Mentor Matching Service for Members

Posted on by Kurt Jensen
ACVP's Mentor Match Service Facilitates Mentorships in Cardiovascular Services

All members should participate in new mentor matching service!

The Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals is excited to announce a new service ahead of 2019—a new mentor matching program for members. Mentor matching will provide ACVP members a unique opportunity to enrich their personal and professional lives, get to know their fellow ACVP members, and get the most out of the ACVP community.

Members, get started with our mentor match program, now.

Mentor a fellow cardiovascular technologist, registered nurse or radiologic technologist in cardiovascular care. Build your personal and professional network, or advance your expertise or career with guidance and insight from like-minded professionals.

All members should participate—as a mentor, mentee, or both!

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What’s Next for Your Career?

Posted on by Zack McElgunn

Membership is an Opportunity to Advance, Earn More

What does membership in a professional association like the Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals offer you? Short answer: a higher salary, more opportunities for advancement, and more chances for you to be recognized for your work and seen as a professional who advances the field of cardiovascular care.

Association membership and compensation are connected. A 2008 Smith Bucklin report analyzed salary data across the United States and found, when controlling for other demographic and job category variables, that association members earned on average $10,000 more than their non-member colleagues.

What's next for your career? How do you reach the next rung of the career ladder? How might you overcome the physical and emotional exhaustion of your hard work and find personal and professional fulfillment above and beyond the day-to-day?

Maybe it's unclear how you can demonstrate your commitment and worth, beyond simply showing up and doing a great job every day. Or maybe it seems like you've achieved the highest level of recognition or compensation for your profession, and there's no more space to grow. Maybe you want to make a greater, direct impact on the quality of care in your community by advancing into management, but are unclear where to start on that path.

No matter what you're trying to accomplish in your life, personally and professionally, every big achievement starts with a first step. If we want to be sure of achieving our goals, we should make sure our first steps provide us with the support we need to finish the journey.

As the only professional association catering specifically to non-physician professionals in cardiovascular care, ACVP is the best resource to help you achieve your goals. Membership in ACVP is a first step towards advancing your profession and your career.

Keep reading to learn more about how ACVP membership can support you, or take your first steps now by joining ACVP and accessing our many supportive benefits and services.

Join ACVP, now »

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Should CT Coronary Angiography be a First-Order Test?

Posted on by Kurt Jensen

New guidelines could impact cardiovascular practice.

Results presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in August sparked debate ahead of new guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with stable ischemic heart disease. Should the U.S. follow the UK in making CT coronary angiography a first-order test for the diagnosis of stable angina?

Headline grabbing results from the five-year SCOT-HEART update showed conducting CT coronary angiography (CTA) in patients with chest pain to be superior to standard care, even reducing rates of heart attack over a five-year period by 41 percent.

With these eye-catching results derived from a well-organized and randomized study, many experts responded with excitement for CTA. "This is one of the most impactful trials, not just in imaging but in cardiovascular medicine," said Todd C. Villines, MD of the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine during the session. David Newby, MD, PhD, of the University of Edinburgh capped the presentation by asking, "Should CT angiography be viewed as the test of choice in patients with stable chest pain?"

This question could have a massive impact on practice, and U.S. physicians eagerly await new consensus guidelines for patients with stable ischemic heart disease, due out this Fall. Following these impressive results, new guidelines could follow suit with the National Institutes for Health and Care Excellence in the United Kingdom, which recommended in 2016 that CT angiography be a first-order investigation for patients with stable chest pain.

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