What is the Role of a Cardiac Nurse?

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As our students get ready to start their careers as LVNs in California, we love to engage and inform them about what kind of a career path is waiting for them once they start working. In honor of Valentine’s Day, what better specialty to discuss than cardiac nursing?

What is a Cardiac Nurse?

Cardiac care nurses work with patients who suffer from heart disease. As the leading cause of death in the U.S., this focus is very much in demand. Heart disease care requires focused, skilled nurses who work with patients at all stages of life. However, most people who require acute cardiac care are seniors or of retirement age, so many cardiac nurses tend to interact mostly with the elderly.

What Does a Cardiac Nurse Do?

Should you specialize in this field if you become an RN, you’ll most commonly support patients who have just undergone pacemaker surgery, angioplasty, or surgical heart bypass. The role is very heavily patient focused, so if you like hands-on care, this may be an excellent role for you.

Most Common Cardiac Nurse Tasks

Both pre and post op, the cardiac nurse performs a number of important roles for the patient including:

  • Electrocardiogram monitoring
  • Heart and lung monitoring
  • Stress tests and heart evaluation
  • Life and diet change education and support
  • Family interaction
  • Overall patient monitoring

Where does a Cardiac Nurse Work?

Cardiac nurses work in a variety of environments including specialist offices, hospitals, post-surgical care, nursing homes, and even pediatric arenas.

How to Become a Cardiac Nurse?

After transitioning to from an LVN to an RN, you need 2,000 hours of clinical experience in cardiovascular nursing. You will also complete 30 hours of continuing education before you can apply to take the cardiac/vascular nursing certification exam.

Where to Start?

While there are many ways to become an RN, the process can be lengthy and costly. An accelerated LVN program in Los Angeles gets you working in the field quickly, ensures you get critical hands-on professional experience as soon as possible, and facilitates transitioning to an RN down the line.  Contact CDI today to start your nursing journey.

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