Our job…
Allied professionals play an enormously vital role in the delivery of quality patient care in heart rhythm management. There is no doubt that that our work in electrophysiology (EP) such as the EP lab or device clinic is constantly evolving. There are increasingly complex and specialized technological innovations that are applied to patient management and everyday practice. We prepare our patients for catheter ablation or device implant procedures, set up the EP lab and equipment, operate the 3D mapping system, troubleshoot device programming problems, optimize the device parameters to meet the patient’s needs, and educate our patients and our colleagues. Our workdays are busy, long and often challenging. That’s our job.

Is it more than just a job?
Continuous education is an absolute necessity for optimal patient safety and care, no matter whether we are just entering the field, an expert in the field, or if we are about to retire in 5 years. We need to be more than “mechanical”. As long as we are practicing, we must be sure that our knowledge and skills are up to date. To do so, we will need to take extra time to read relevant journals, textbooks, attend conferences, network with our peers, and collaboratively develop resources and research efforts. Ultimately we will need to validate our knowledge. This is achieved by certification exams and continuing education units (CEUs). Certification exams in EP are offered by organizations such as the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners (IBHRE) (www.ibhre.org) or Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) (www.cci-online.org) in the US. Sure it costs money, time and energy to do all this, but this is our commitment to professionalism. Our patients depend on it.

Yes, and it’s worth it!
Through the process of professional development and achieving our certification credential(s), we grow in our worth. We are better and more confident, empowered by our knowledge and skills, and we gain respect from our peers. Our patients and the public are assured that we are competent. Beyond this, opportunities are abundant for us.

Our patients deserve the very best from each of us. We deserve to be the best in each of us.

More about certification:
• What have other IBHRE-certified professionals said about certification? http://www.ibhre.org/Certification/Value.htm

• Read about the Japanese Heart Rhythm Society’s efforts to respond to the governmental requirement to have industry support representatives meet safety standards through a national certification program. This effort led to a joint partnership with IBHRE. http://jhrs.or.jp/english/greetings.html http://www.ibhre.org/International/International.htm

• This open access viewpoint article in the January 2010 issue of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology looked at the roles of allied professionals in EP and the international efforts towards certification in EP: http://www.pulsus.com/journals/abstract.jsp?sCurrPg=abstract&jnlKy=1&atl...

Christine Chiu is the EP Pacemaker Technologist at The Labatt Family Heart Centre of the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.