Talent Solutions: Having Difficulty Finding a Cath Lab Manager?

Illustration: Lee Sauer

By Dave Bontempo, Director and Managing Partner, RoundTable Strategic Solutions, and 
Rachael Battin, Senior Director, RoundTable Strategic Solutions

RoundTable Strategic Solutions powers MedAxiom Talent Solutions, which connects healthcare organizations with seasoned cardiovascular experts backed by the entire MedAxiom team.  

As a leader in delivering innovative staffing solutions to the healthcare industry, RoundTable Strategic Solutions shares unique perspective on workforce challenges, opportunities and trends to help MedAxiom member organizations thrive in the new normal. 

There’s an unfortunate and harmful resounding trend for healthcare organizations in the 2020s: Staffing shortages at all levels, which are only compounded by budget cuts due to COVID. Finding highly skilled staff members for a particular niche, like a cardiac cath lab, is even more challenging. Since cardiology is usually the largest revenue-generating specialty for healthcare organizations, it’s vital that the right candidate is selected to run your cath lab operations. 

Here are some questions to consider when hiring your next cath lab manager: 

Should your cath lab manager have an RN license?

It’s not imperative that your manager have an RN license (unless your state requires it), but they do need comprehensive experience working with staff and hospital leadership, putting together procedure schedules, handling staffing schedules and issues, and managing financials for the lab. Further, they must have a clinical background to understand the nuances that accompany the role. Experienced Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialists (RCIS), recognized by the ACC and by the Society of Cardiac Angiographers and Interventionalists, are also highly trained and may be a good fit for this role.

Does your candidate have the ability to set up proper ongoing training and orientation for staff?

Cath labs are highly complex; employees must be properly oriented and ongoing training is imperative for all staff. Your cath lab staff are only as good as the staff members who are training them. Evaluate your managerial candidates to ensure they have experience with setting up formal policies/procedures and training staff. One of the causes of employee turnover in cath labs is inadequate training. Staff who aren’t properly trained add to the burden of those who are well-trained building frustration and lowering morale.

Is your candidate a good fit for the team?

An efficient cath lab requires a cohesive team, so engage current team members in the final steps of the interview process. An on-site visit with the staff to learn more about the operations of the lab is strongly recommended. Allow time for a question-and-answer session, where the team and the candidate can share pertinent details. Oftentimes your team will know more about the inner workings of the lab than a hiring manager or HR representative.

How would this candidate approach staffing for their team?

When an individual’s values don’t align with the team, they quickly become a bad hire.

Ask your cath lab manager candidate what’s important to them when hiring staff for their team. Find out the kinds of questions they ask in an interview to discover what drives a candidate (financial, growth opportunities, professional development, results, etc.) and ask how they assess an individual’s character. This is important when trying to build a unified and effective team.

What should an organization do if it can’t find a cath lab manager that has the appropriate education and experience?

A manager deals with the complexities and urgency associated with cath lab staffing, scheduling procedures, patient management and inventory. It’s a vital role that, if performed well, will attract cardiologists to perform procedures in your lab. Your organization most likely has a pre-approved salary range for a cath lab manager, but you're likely to find qualified candidates who demand more, especially in today’s job market. Without a budget increase, you’ll have to reevaluate the type of candidate that can fit your budget. You may have to hire someone with less experience who is eager to learn and undergo training. Another option is to onboard an interim cath lab manager to strengthen operations and jumpstart a new cath lab manager who may be less experienced.

Should you use an interim leader to help train your new cath lab manager?

Leveraging an interim cath lab manager is a wise investment. Any gap in leadership leads to a reduction in efficiency and revenue, and an interim leader can provide the necessary mentorship and stability for a lab. With proper training and oversight from an interim cath lab manager, a less experienced manager can be trained to effectively run your cath lab long-term. Some hospitals may look for months or years to find the perfect candidate while their cath lab suffers, but pairing a newer cath lab manager with an interim cath lab expert with extensive experience is an excellent way to impart knowledge and skills. This arrangement can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months and will be well worth the initial investment.

Need to fill a key role temporarily while you find a permanent hire? Need a resource to fill today's gap and help train and onboard a new or future hire? MedAxiom Talent Solutions delivers interim cardiovascular experts to fill critical staffing gaps, including administrator and leadership roles. The full-service staffing solutions model ensures you have the right candidate for the right position at the right time. Learn more.