Working in a CCL = a professional?

What is a professional?, author Georgann Bruski asks in this issue. Many of CLD‘s articles ask that very same question this month, albeit in their own way. Georgann zeroes in on the importance of rising above the individual mindset, and highlights the give and take of sharing information with others as the defining (or crowning) touch of the professional. Authors Dr. Mark Raymond and Charles O. Williams approach this idea of a professional from a purely empirical and statistical standpoint. The actions performed by the technologists they studied define or classify these individuals as technologists of a certain type. Are we simply what we do every day? Is being a cath lab professional a choice and an effort, or is it a mantle that drops naturally on the shoulders of those who labor in the cath lab week after week and year after year? Even in this country that loves to argue black and white, it’s clearly a mix of both attitude and action that are important criteria for defining a professional. Ever thought of hiring a nurse practitioner or NP in your lab? Margaret Stuppy explains the advantages of having this type of professional in the cath lab on page 30. CLD also shares an interesting look at primary angioplasty without surgical backup, by Dr. Ramazan Akdemir et al, whose data shows favorable results. Russell D’Sa explains the unique nurse/tech vascular access and closure programs at his lab in Virginia on page 36. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the ISET (International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy) meeting this past January (although in the guise of Vascular Disease Management editor, which is one of CLD‘s sister publications). Cath Lab Digest includes some of the interesting peripheral vascular news which arose out of this meeting. As the peripheral vascular field continues to develop, we welcome articles and your thoughts on incorporating these important and growing interventions into the cath lab spectrum of procedures. Enjoy! Rebecca Kapur Managing Editor CathLabDigest@aol.com Knowledge is the one thing no one can ever take from you."

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