All About My Job: Technician Supervisor

In this new section, we’ll highlight the job duties of a different position (RN, RCIS, MD, etc.) in the EP lab to give readers an idea about what others do in their daily role. This month, Douglas Beinborn, MA, RN interviews Lisa Fanning, a technician supervisor, about her job. Lisa Fanning is the technician supervisor for Heart Rhythm Services (HRS) for the Mayo Clinic, located in Rochester, Minnesota. She supervises 17 RCIS/CVT personnel. She works with 22 physicians, 3 mid-level providers, and 34 RNs in the HRS practice. She also works directly with the secretaries, schedulers, materials management, and purchasing on a daily basis. Mayo Clinic operates five invasive and one non-invasive procedure rooms each day for the HRS practice. Background What type of schooling did you have to complete in order to get to your job? I went through the surgical technologist school at the Rochester Community Technical College right out of high school, and through the years I progressed into the EP field. I have been working in EP for 26 years. What made you choose this field? It really chose me. I started filling in for vacationing technicians, and I slowly migrated to the area permanently. I found this specialty practice very interesting and challenging. I always enjoyed working with the physicians and the allied staff in the EP practice, and that is why I continue to work in this specialty. What was your first job like? The first job I had at Mayo was in the ECG lab. I worked with a great group of people there and learned a lot about cardiology. This is where I met some of the physicians who worked in EP. From the ECG lab I was told by my supervisor that they were recommending me for a position in the cardiac cath lab, and soon I transferred to my new job. Shortly thereafter I started covering vacations and assisted with surgical implants of cardiac devices, and three months later I was the third dedicated technician for HRS. When did you start your job at the current hospital you are located? I started in the cath lab in 1981, and three months after I started that job, I was permanently employed by the Heart Rhythm Services practice. What do you like about your position? I like that it is constantly changing. When I first started, we were putting in pacemakers, performing EP drug testing for patients at risk for sudden cardiac death, and also performing baseline studies for patients with accessory pathways who would eventually go to cardiac surgery for treatment. As you can see, the advancements since then have been significant. Present Day What is a typical morning like for you? What time do you get to work? Describe some of your tasks that you do in the mornings. Also, are mornings busy for you? There is no such thing as a routine day in HRS. I typically arrive to St. Mary’s Hospital (the Mayo hospital where the HRS lab is located) to work at 6:30 am. I review the schedule for the day and make sure the patients are assigned to the correct rooms and with the correct physician. There are five physicians in the lab each day for the six procedure rooms we operate, and two physicians for our hospital services. There are 22 physicians involved in the EP/PACE practice and 140 total cardiologists at Mayo Rochester, so I get to work with a wide variety of physicians. At 7:00 am, the first patients are called in order to be processed in the prep/recovery; it is our goal to have the patient brought to the procedure room by 7:45. At 7:15 am, we have our lab report for the techs, nurses and any physicians who may be around at that time. Then the day really gets busy. I have to deal with patient issues, equipment problems, staffing, getting the right people for the right tasks, etc. Then I have to arrange for patient add-ons, cancellations, physician questions, and changing patient needs. What type of patients do you help treat? We typically perform procedures on 12-18 patients per day. We do a high volume of atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, and other SVT ablations. We place many pacemakers, ICDs, and biventricular devices each day. We also perform tilt table studies, drug studies for long QT patients, EP studies, and ICD follow-up for patients requiring DFT testing. The lab runs from 7:15 to whenever the last case is completed, which can be 2200 or beyond. Typically the lab closes between 1800 – 2000. Do you generally get breaks and for how long? I eat at my desk. What can I say, I love my job. In all seriousness, we try hard to make sure everyone gets away for a break and lunch. How many days do you work per week? I work Monday through Friday. We rarely perform procedures in EP/PACE on the weekends. What time do you work until? I typically leave by 1700. Some days it is later, some days it is earlier. What are your afternoons like? I deal with a variety of items in the afternoon. We schedule patients to procedure rooms for the next day based on the procedure type, the physician performing the procedure, and workload. I also deal with materials management, other paperwork, late patient add-ons, and organizing the late schedule for that day. What is your interaction with other staff members? What are your typical duties before, during, and after cases? I interact with everyone in the lab, including our physicians and fellows in the hospital services and in the clinic. On a daily basis I work directly with the physicians, technicians, nurses, mid-level providers, schedulers, secretaries, administration, materials management, and industry. Future Considerations Do you plan to stay in your job role? What are your plans for the future? I plan to stay until I am burned out or asked to leave, whichever comes first. I enjoy my role and its challenges. My goal is to help grow the practice and meet the needs of the patients that I am involved with. Where or how do you obtain continuing education credits? Every Monday we have our core curriculum series. Our staff physicians, outside speakers, and fellows provide the education, which we obtain CEUs for. I also obtain CEUs from conferences such as the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual meeting, etc. Is there anything you would like to add? I find this field to be challenging and ever-changing. The specialty continues to grow. It is amazing how the technology has changed through the years and continues to advance. Since I have been in the practice for a long time, I have been a part of the progression of the specialty practice, and this has been exciting. I expect the practice to continue to grow, and I know we will continue to see advances that will positively impact our patients.