President`s Message Sonographer Research Institute Update from

A Publication of
Cardiovascular Credentialing International
2015, Issue 1
the
Pulse
President’s Message
By James “Jay” Shafer, BS, RCS, RVS, RVT
First, let me say that I hope each of you have
begun the year 2015 with a sense of optimism for
the future of our field. This is my last opportunity
to address you in this formal manner, and I want
you all to know that it has been my honor to serve
as President of CCI during these past two years.
Over the years, it has been my pleasure to both
work with and learn from Doug Passey, our
past President. Doug’s term on the Executive Committee is ending, but
I am certain that he will continue to influence our field. Doug began
volunteering with CCI in the late 1990s, and I have watched and learned
much about leadership from him. He has been tireless in his efforts to
ensure quality credentialing and to uphold the values that our credentials
embody. I want to thank Doug for his service and the impact that he has
made on the quality of cardiovascular care through his leadership at CCI.
As for the future, I leave with a sense that CCI and you, the registrants, are
in good hands. The Executive Committee is made up of a group of professionals who have all serviced both patients and the field in diverse ways.
This blend of experience is very important in guiding credentialing of a
field as broad as ours. Your 2015-2017 President Ken Horton is extremely
well qualified to take on the leadership role at CCI and has extensive connections within the field. I am excited to see what the future holds.
Under Ken’s and the Executive Committee’s leadership, I am certain that
CCI will continue its tradition of ensuring service to the professional triad.
This triad, which is made up of the professional societies, the educational
programs, and the credentialing bodies, forms the backbone of our field. It
is best served by the delivery of quality credentialing exams and a continued push for quality global cardiovascular medicine. I look forward to our
paths crossing in the future, and I want you to feel free to contact me at
jshafer@cci-online.org if I can be of service in any way. ♥
Sonographer Research Institute Update from the
Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography Foundation
The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) Foundation
announced the publication of the inaugural research projects sponsored
by the Sonography Research Institute (SRI) Program. The SRI Program
is designed to assist sonographers with acquiring the skills and expertise
needed to conduct and publish original sonographic research.
Launched in 2012 by the SDMS Foundation, the SRI Program provides
personal mentorship, honorarium support, and educational guidance to the
selected SRI Young Investigators who participate in the two-year program.
Each Young Investigator is individually matched with a SRI Mentor who
is an experienced, well-published sonographer researcher recognized as a
luminary within the profession. The Young Investigator receives guidance
on the framing of research questions, the process of conducting original
research including successful completion of the Institutional Review Board
(IRB) process, the application of appropriate research methodologies
and statistical tools, and the submission and publication of their original
research project in the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JDMS).
The SRI research projects published in the January/February 2015 issue
of the JDMS cover a wide variety of topics, including the epidemiology
of breast cancer, the significance of a single umbilical artery, predictors
of patent ductus arteriosus closure, sonographic surveillance of aortic
aneurysm endovascular stent grafts, visualization of deep vein thrombosis, and uterine artery Doppler waveform evaluation. The study evaluating PDA closure has already led to a companion article utilizing the data
collected to generate a physiologic marker that is in use clinically and
will be evaluated further in a large multicenter trial. ♥
SRI Strategic Partners: Breast Ultrasound Foundation, Cardiovascular
Credentialing International (CCI), and Sage Publications.
CCI Board and Senior Staff
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
President
Ken Horton, RCIS, RCS, FASE
President Elect / Executive Exam Committee Chair
Marsha Roberts, RCS, FASE
Treasurer
Gail Size, BS, RPhS, RVS, RVT, FSVU
Secretary
Letitia Esbenshade-Smith, MEd, RCIS
Immediate Past President
James J. Shafer, BS, RCS, RVS, RVT
Non-Invasive Echo Exam Committee Chair
Brad Roberts, RCS, FASE
Invasive Exam Committee Chair
Travis Nay, BS, RCIS
Electrophysiology Exam Committee Chair
Douglas L. Passey, RCES, RCIS, FSICP
Vascular Exam Committee Chair
Lisa Cannon, RVS, RVT
CCI Credential Renewal –
March 31, 2015 – Past Due
If you have not completed your renewal requirements, you have a grace period until June 30, 2015
to submit CEUs, signed Code of Ethics and renewal payment. A copy of the CCI Code of Ethics
was included with your renewal invoice or can be downloaded from our website by clicking on
Registrants, Code of Ethics. The 90-day grace period is extended time to submit renewal paperwork.
A late fee of $50.00 will be assessed to all registrants who submit their renewals during the grace
period.
Please be aware that CEUs must have been earned during the triennial cycle. CEUs earned
during the grace period will not be accepted but will be credited towards your next triennial
cycle.
Phlebology Exam Committee Chair
Jeannie White Melendez, RPhS, RVT, FSVU
New Registrants credentialed between April 1 and June 30, 2014 are not required to submit CEUs.
Submit only a signed copy of CCI’s Code of Ethics with payment of renewal fees.
Congenital Cardiac Exam Committee Chair
Elaine A Shea, RCCS, RCIS, RCS, FASE
If renewal requirements are not completed by June 30, 2015, registrants’ status will become inactive.
Certificate Level Exams Committee Chair
Thomas O’Brien, AS, CST, CCT, CRAT
Submitting CEUs from an approved site does not mean that they are automatically accepted.
Registrants who hold Registry credentials need to submit 36 CEUs, 30 of which must be
cardiovascular related CEUs to complete the renewal process. Certificate level registrants are
required to submit 16 CEUs. Please refer to our website www.cci-online.org and click on Links and
Resources, CEU Providers.
Public Member
Rick Hoffman, CPA/ABV
BOARD OF ADVISORS
The following organizations nominate a representative of their
cardiovascular specialty field to sit on the CCI Board of Advisors.
American College of Cardiology (ACC)
Joseph Messer, MD, MACC
American College of Phlebology (ACP)
Nick Morrison, MD, FACS, FACPh, RPhS
Joe Zygmunt, RPhS, RVT
American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)
Allan L. Klein, MD, FRCP(c), FACC, FAHA, FASE
Richie Palma, RCS, RDCS, FASE
Heart Rhythm Society (HRS)
Shoei K. Stephen Huang, MD, FACC, FAHA, FHRS, CCDS
Barbara Thomas, RN, FHRS
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI)
Joseph Babb, MD, FCCC, FACC, FSCAI
Registrants may retake the registry exam at any time during their triennial, with no penalty at a
reduced cost, to satisfy their CEU requirement. Exam must be completed and passed before end of
triennial cycle.
We urge our registrants who have not submitted the required CEUs, signed Code of Ethics
Form, and renewal payment to do so prior to June 30, 2015 to avoid penalty fees or retesting.
Renew online today! You can now sign your Code of Ethics online and pay your renewal fees
online by logging into your CCI account. All of your required CEUs must be submitted before
payment will be processed. ♥
Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU)
Anne Jones, RN, BSN, RVT, RDMS, FSVU
Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS)
David Adams, RCS, RDCS, FASE
Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP)
Tracy Simpson, ARNP, RCIS, FSICP
Honorary Board Member - Historian
Dennis K. Carney, RCIS, RCS, FASE
CCI is on Facebook!
Like us at www.facebook.com/ccionline.org
SENIOR STAFF
Executive Director
Jerel Noel
Associate Executive Director & Director of Communications
Christine Johnson
Director of Finance
Ellen Gioelli
Director of Operations
Stephanie Brown
The Pulse and CCI are trade names of CCI. The Pulse is copyrighted by CCI and authorization to photocopy items for
internal or personal use is granted by CCI. Opinions expressed in The Pulse are not necessarily those of the
CCI Board of Trustees, its agents, editors, advertisers or anyone connected with the publication. CCI assumes
no liability or responsibility for any claims, actions or damages resulting from publication of any article.
CCI does not endorse nor recommend any review course or review material.
Assistant Director of Operations
Katesha Phillips
Cardiovascular Credentialing International
1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27607
phone: 800-326-0268; fax: (919) 787-4916
www.cci-online.org
Examinations Coordinator
Sherry Barrow
Executive Assistant
Valerie Hunter
©2013. Cardiovascular Credentialing International. All rights reserved.
2
2015-2017 CCI Executive Committee Introductions
By Ken Horton, RCIS, RCS, FASE
Ken Horton, RCIS, RCS, FASE – President
a pro-sector and teaching assistant during that time. Upon returning to
the US, and while working to take the medical boards, I found and fell
in love with a relatively new field, vascular ultrasound. While working in
vascular from 1986 through 1993, the opportunity to teach peripheral
vascular studies presented itself. My first teaching assignment was in the
CVT program at Santa Fe College, where I wrote and taught the vascular
portion of the curriculum. I taught there from 1993 until 2006 and then
moved to Austin, Texas to direct a non-invasive program. Since that time,
I have developed cardiovascular training programs in San Antonio and
now one in Austin. I currently work with National American University,
where I run a cath lab training program which will graduate its first class
in June of 2015. I have been very blessed during my career to work with
many talented students and cardiovascular professionals and it has been
my honor to serve the field in that capacity. I volunteered with the Society
for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU), serving on the education committee and
started working with CCI as an item writer for the basic cardiovascular
science exam committee in 1997. After writing with and chairing both
the basic science and vascular committees, I have served in all of the
Executive Committee roles and now function as the Past President of
CCI’s Board of Trustees.
Every other year we say good bye to the current
CCI President and everyone on the CCI Executive
Committee moves up one rung on the leadership
ladder. I would like to use this first newsletter to
quickly introduce the new Executive Committee.
I am Ken Horton, RCS, FASE and I am extremely
honored to assume the role of President of Cardiovascular Credentialing International and look
forward to two years of service to you and our organization.
Before proceeding I would like to publicly thank Jay Shafer for his dedication and service to CCI for over 18 years of service but especially the last
two years where he has served as President. During his Presidency CCI
developed two new examinations, saw constant and continued growth
in number of registrants, sustained growth in financial resources and
assets, developed a very successful annual Cardiovascular Educators’
Forum, and recently an unexpected change in Executive Director. Over
the last eight years Jay has served as an outstanding role model for me as
I followed him up the leadership ladder and he has helped me prepare to
assume the role of President.
Marsha Roberts, RCS, FASE – President-Elect
I am a Navy trained Cardiovascular Technologist and graduated from
the Naval School of Health Sciences in 1985. As a Navy trained technologist my “tours of duty” included the cardiac cath lab, the intensive care
unit, and the cardiology clinic. I finished my career as an instructor and
Program Director of the Cardiovascular Technologist program at the
Naval School of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. After I “retired”
from the Navy (16 years ago!) my time has been dedicated to echocardiography. I am actively involved with the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) where I have served on multiple committees and task
forces including serving as the Chair of the Council on Cardiovascular
Sonography and Secretary of the ASE Executive Committee. I have
been involved with CCI since 2004 where I first began on the Registered
Cardiac Sonographer (RCS) exam committee and have since served as
Treasurer, Secretary, President-Elect and now President.
I began my career in Wyoming at Casper College
as a student in the radiologic technology (RT)
program. After graduating from Casper College
with an Associate Degree in 1989 and earning my
RT, I moved to Salt Lake City and was accepted
into the diagnostic medical sonography program
at Weber State University. I spent the majority
of my career working as a cardiac sonographer
(credentialed in adult and pediatric echo) for Intermountain Healthcare
in Utah. Eventually, I became the Director of Echo/Vascular Services for
Intermountain. In 2010, I decided to start my own echo accreditation
consulting business, Inside Echo LLC, based out of Dallas, Texas. I have
been an active volunteer with the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) as a member of the following: sonographer council, scientific
sessions faculty, council on perioperative echocardiography, and the
radiation safety task force. My involvement with CCI began in 2005 when
I was asked to be a member of the Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS)
exam committee, and I am still a proud member of this amazing group
of professionals. I have also served as the ASE liaison to the CCI board of
directors, the chair of the RCS Exam Committee, Secretary, Treasurer, and
I just recently began my term as CCI’s President-Elect.
Aside from Jerel Noel, CCI Executive Director, and his staff of fulltime
employees I will be assisted in my duties by an outstanding team of
volunteer colleagues:
Jay Shafer, BS, RCS, RVS, RVT – Past President
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Kent
State University in Ohio where I majored in
Pre-medicine and Zoology. I also attended St.
George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada
West Indies from 1983 (Grenada intervention
years) through 1986 where I began my teaching
experience in the department of anatomy. I was
continued on page 7
3
Registrant Spotlight
This section spotlights a CCI registrant for his or her accomplishments and dedication to the cardiovascular profession. Submissions may be sent to Christine
Johnson via email to cjohnson@cci-online.org.
Letitia Esbenshade-Smith, MS Ed, RCES
Lisha then moved into the industry side working for GE medical as a
clinical application specialist for the EP and Cath recording systems and
later returned to LGH to create an educational program for EP staff in
2003. The EP education program began in 2004 as an internship for all
new EP staff joining LGH and has evolved into an Associate in Applied
Science (AAS) program in Cardiac Electrophysiology to the then Lancaster General College of Nursing & Health Sciences. The Pennsylvania
College of Health Sciences electrophysiology program is currently the
only CAAHEP accredited program of its kind in the United States.
Letitia (Lisha) began her “career” in the medical
field in Sports Medicine Technology in her hometown of Denver, CO. After a conversation with a
few cardiologists, and spending a day in the Cath
lab at St Luke’s Hospital, she was introduced to
the world of invasive cardiology and from there
Lisha completed the Cardiovascular Technology
program at Lancaster General Hospital (LGH) in
Lancaster, PA and started work immediately in the LGH cath lab in 1990.
Lisha’s current role is as the EP program coordinator at the now Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences and she is responsible for teaching
all didactic EP courses as well as coordinating the clinical courses and
student clinical educational expectations. She enjoys that it is both a
challenging and rewarding role for the last 11 years.
Two years later her world tilted when observing Dr. Seth Worley perform
a D/C ablation of the AV node. Lisha transferred from the cath lab to
the EP lab and began training under Dr. Worley. These were the days of
serial drug testing, the need for open heart surgery to implant epicardial
defibrillation patches and pacing wires for abdominal ICD implants and
epicardial sock and ring mapping for ventricular aneurysms and WPW
respectively.
In 2006, Lisha approached CCI to petition for a credential in Cardiac
Electrophysiology and the following year she was charged with leading
the taskforce to create the credential which officially launched in 2008.
The RCES is accredited by the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) under the ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 Program. Lisha served as RCES
Exam Committee chair from 2007 to 2014 and is currently an item writer
for the RCES exam.
CCI Credential Renewal –
June 30 – Now Due
Lisha states, “While I do not have data to support my next statement,
I firmly believe that credentialed EP staff provide better patient care,
decrease the length of the EP procedure, decrease the potential for procedural risks and ultimately decrease length of patient stay. I believe that
these positive patient outcomes can be accredited to credentialed staff
working in the EP lab.” ♥
New Registrants credentialed between July 1 and September 30,
2014 are not required to submit CEUs. Submit only a signed copy
of CCI’s Code of Ethics with payment of renewal fees.
Submitting CEUs from an approved site does not mean that they
are automatically accepted. Registrants who hold Registry credentials need to submit 36 CEUs, 30 of which must be cardiovascular
related CEUs to complete the renewal process. Certificate level
registrants are required to submit 16 CEUs. Please refer to our
website www.cci-online.org and click on Links and Resources,
CEU Providers.
Visit the CCI Booth
at These
Upcoming Events
Registrants may retake the Registry exam at any time during their
triennial, with no penalty at a reduced cost, to satisfy their CEU
requirement. Exam must be completed and passed before end of
triennial cycle.
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography
and Interventions
Renew online today! You can now sign your Code of Ethics online
and pay your renewal fees online by logging into your CCI account.
All of your required CEUs must be submitted before payment will
be processed. ♥
May 13-16 • Boston, MA
May 6-9 • San Diego, CA
Heart Rhythm Society
American Society of Echocardiography
June 12-16 • Boston, MA
4
IAC Accreditation Update
IAC Research Award Program
Announcements
IAC Awarded ISO 9001:2008
Management System and ISO/IEC
27001:2013 Information Security
Certifications
As the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Research Program embarks on
its fourth year, progress toward fulfilling its
mission of Strengthening Research Through
Accreditation has been realized in terms
of several published manuscripts and abstracts. Stakeholders within the
medical community, are encouraged to review the research being put
forth on our website at intersocietal.org/research.
The IAC is the first organization to achieve integrated management system
certification (9001:2008 and 27001:2013); accredited against ANSI-ASQ
National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and International Accreditation Forum (IAF) standards. ISO 9001:2008 is process-based, a certification that
recognizes organizations that can link business objectives with operating
effectiveness. ISO 27001:2013 recognizes organizations that establish and
maintain an Information Security Management System (ISMS).
2014 Grant Recipients Announced
IAC was awarded ISO 9001:2008 and 27001:2013 certifications by SRI
Quality System Registrar of Pittsburgh, PA. SRI Quality System Registrar is an internationally recognized, accredited registrar that issues
quality, environmental, health and safety and security management
system registration certifications based on internationally recognized
standards. ANAB is a signatory of the IAF and International Laboratory
Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) multilateral recognition arrangements.
Accreditation bodies around the world typically pursue IAF and ILAC
recognition through one of the recognized regional cooperations of these
organizations. ANAB is also recognized by several agencies of the United
States government and military.
The IAC is pleased to announce the following grant recipients for 2014:
• An Evaluation of the Distribution of Equipment Vintage among
Echocardiography Laboratories Applying for IAC Accreditation and
Its Association with Laboratory Quality
Primary Investigator: Prem Soman, MD, Heart and Vascular Institute,
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
• Quantifying the Impact of Accreditation on Quality in
Echocardiography
Primary Investigator: Theresa Tacy, MD/Sarino Behera, MD, Lucile Salter
Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford School of Medicine
• IAC Accreditation and the Performance of Stress Testing in
Medicare Beneficiaries
Primary Investigator: Venkatesh L. Murthy, MD, University of Michigan
“These newly earned ISO 9001: 2008 and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certifications represent another milestone in our successful work to comply with
the ISO standards,” said Sandra Katanick, CAE, IAC CEO. “First achieved
by IAC in 2013, our newly earned integrated certifications through SRI
Quality System Registrar further signify IAC’s ongoing commitment to
comply and document adherence to established standards. I continue to
be extremely proud that our current and prospective customers can have
confidence that they are doing business with an accreditation organization that has undergone a rigorous evaluation and has once again earned
certification for its adherence and commitment to quality management
systems and information security.”
• Impact of Nuclear Laboratory Staff Credentials & Education on
Laboratory Quality
Primary Investigator: Matthew Parker, MD, Hartford Hospital, University
of Connecticut
The IAC Research Committee evaluated submissions based upon their
originality, practicality of study design, potential impact, generalizability
and probability of achieving meaningful results within one year. In addition, investigator qualifications and previous health services research
experience were considered.
Of the accreditation organizations designated to accredit suppliers of
advanced diagnostic imaging under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), IAC continues to hold the designation as the only such organization that is certified as ISO 9001:2008
and 27001:2013 compliant. IAC’s certification provides customers with
confidence that the accrediting body has undergone an extensive evaluation by a third-party certification body. By earning this recognition, IAC
has demonstrated its dedication to the pursuit of quality operations, in
line with the standards to which it holds participating, applicant facilities
as well as its commitment to continuous improvement. ♥
For complete details about the IAC Research Award Program, including
links to published abstracts and manuscripts, visit www.intersocietal.
org/research
CCI Video Now Available Online
Do you know someone applying for a CCI Examination?
Tell them about the CCI Application and Examination
Process Video on our YouTube channel.
http://youtu.be/QaU-C4KlRkM
5
Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP) Update
By Patrick Hoier, SICP President
Who is Standing Next to You?
“Who is standing next to you?” I remember that question quite vividly
as it was asked by a physician’s partner as I was acting as first scrub
assistant one day. I was still a student in the midst of my clinical internship, and still ‘finding my way’ in the role. The physician I was assisting
responded to his partner with the words “he’s just a new tech”. For some
reason that response stung me; however, I could not put my finger on
why that response, though correct, bothered me so much. It was not until
much later that I realized that such a response dismisses the special education and skills I had developed as a cardiovascular specialist. The term
“just a new tech” seemed to infer that those highly developed skills were
not necessary for patient safety or procedure success. In that moment
I realized that the physician I was standing next to, assisting in this life
saving procedure, truly did not understand what my training and education encompassed. He simply did not understand that my education and
testing was more than “just a tech” performing a function. He did not
understand that I was a highly trained specialist in the field of invasive
cardiovascular technology.
similar experience and feelings
regarding the lack of recognition of the highly developed
knowledge and skill set they
had achieved as a Registered
Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist
and/or a Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist. Based on these
discussions it is my personal goal for my presidency to achieve a higher
level of recognition for these professions and the skill sets they bring to
the procedure, patient safety, and best practice implementation. I am asking the Executive Board of the SICP, as well as EVERY member of SICP, to
assist me in this endeavor.
Taking a cue from that physician’s question “Who is standing next to
you?” I am taking that up as the banner for our mission. Over the next
few month’s I am planning on kicking off a grass roots based campaign
to encourage ALL RCIS and RCES professionals to ask your physicians
this question, and to educate them on what a specialist is able to bring
Over the past year I have been able to have many frank and open conversations with members of the SICP, and many of these members related
continued on page 7
ASE 2015 Offers Special Opportunity for Sonographers
Interested in Vascular Ultrasound!
There are dozens of great reasons for sonographers to attend the ASE Scientific Sessions in Boston this June, from an amazing program entitled:
“Innovation in Technology and Medicine: the Value of Echocardiography,” to the history and just plain fun offered by one of America’s most
beautiful cities. The conference includes everything from traditional
lectures to hands-on sessions and debates. And for the second year, a
vascular hands-on session on Friday afternoon, June 12 will provide in
person training on performing carotid duplex studies for sonographers
and physicians. Stand shoulder-to-shoulder with expert vascular sonographers as they demonstrate their techniques, answer your questions,
and ensure that you have a chance to try your hand at a new application
for your scanning skills! This special session will be held from 3:30-5:00
p.m., so plan to arrive early! As a follow-up, the ASE Councils on Cardiovascular Sonography and on Vascular Ultrasound have collaborated
to bring you “Incorporating Vascular Into an Echo Practice,” a special
session on June 15.
Other highlights of special interest to sonographers include each day’s
case-based sessions, covering topics such as strain, 3D and diastology;
Sunday’s “How the Experts Do It” session, where sonographer/cardiologist teams from leading medical centers cover topics such as strain,
TAVR Assessment, and contrast; and Chalk Talks on Sunday and Monday,
where ASE’s luminary faculty will provide answers to clinical conundrums. A special networking session for for sonographer educators will
also be offered. For more information on the education, research, and
social events at ASE 2015, or to register for this exciting meeting, visit
www.asescientificsessions.org. ♥
6
2015-2017 CCI Executive Committee Introductions
continued from page 3
Gail Size, BS, RPhS, RVS, RVT, FSVU – Treasurer
Co-Chair and Chairman of the SVU’s Education committee, and the SVU
liaison on the CCI Board of Advisors.
In the early 1980’s I was asked to open a hospital’s first “Blood Flow Lab,” and consequently I
was honored to be trained in my home town of
Chicago by Drs. John Bergan and James Yao at
Northwestern University’s Blood Flow Lab. Little
did I know this was the beginning of a fantastic
journey in both clinical and private vascular
laboratories and societies. I have been fortunate
to be a part of a research team, authored numerous publications and
given presentations throughout the United States, Australia, and Europe.
My life with CCI began years ago as a Registered Cardiovascular Technologist (RCVT) and then became a Registered Vascular Specialist (RVS) and
a Registered Phlebology Sonographer (RPhS). I am a member of the RVS
exam committee and served on the RPhS exam committee. My favorite
of all volunteer positions began in 2012 when asked to serve on the CCI
Executive Committee and am currently in the position of Treasurer.
Letitia “Lisha” P. Esbenshade-Smith, MS Ed, RCES
– Secretary
During this fantastic journey in 1998 I was awarded the Distinguished
Service award by the Society of Vascular Technology, elevated to the
status of Fellow in the Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU) in 2003
and in 2014 received the SVU Professional Achievement award. I believe
strongly in volunteerism, and have served as the President of the Chicago
Area Vascular Association, Southwest Area Vascular Association, application reviewer for the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Vascular Testing, SVU Board of Directors, Midwest regional chapter advisor,
Lisha is our newest addition to the Executive
Committee. She brings with her an extensive
background in Electrophysiology on both the
clinical and education side. We are very excited to
have her join us. Lisha’s career and service to CCI
is highlighted in the “Registrant Spotlight” in this
issue of The Pulse on page 4.
Mission Statement
To be the recognized credentialing organization for
Cardiovascular Technology and emerging
Medical professionals.
Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals
continued from page 6
It is no accident that this team compromises experts that represent the
various CCI examination disciplines. A balanced leadership team ensures
the interests of all disciplines are adequately represented. Having a balanced team ensures that our organization will continue to move in the
direction of its Mission Statement for all our disciplines.
to the procedure for the benefit of the physician AND patient during an
invasive cardiovascular procedure. I am calling on each and every one of
our RCIS and RCES members to take pride in being a specialist, and to
bring attention to our profession within our own labs/hospitals/regions.
I am also asking for professional “selfies” that we can post to our Facebook
page, Cath Lab Digest, and other media outlets to give our profession faces
and stories; to inform our fellow staff members and physicians “Who IS
Standing Next to You?”, and more importantly “Who do you WANT standing next to you?”, during an invasive case. I personally will be kicking this
off in an upcoming Cath Lab Digest.
Since I have been involved with CCI I have been a personal witness to its
growth along every facet. We have grown in terms of types and numbers
of examinations given, number of registrants, human and financial
resources, and most importantly national and international recognition
of our credentials. My goal and my commitment to you are to continue
to encourage and foster that growth. “Your” leadership team shares my
commitment and will work hard to keep this organization focused on its
mission and moving in that direction.
Again, I ask each of you to proudly stand up, speak up, and be proud of the
professional title you have worked so hard to obtain. Let’s educate or fellow
team members of what our profession brings to the table. Let’s become
better patient advocates by asking the important questions; “Who IS
Standing Next to You?” and “Who Do You WANT Standing Next To You?”.
On behalf of the Executive Committee and CCI staff I would just like to
say that it is a privilege and honor to serve all of our registrants. We are
excited about steering this ship towards it mission. In our ever changing world of cardiovascular healthcare we all realize that this will be a
continuous process that will continue long beyond all of our terms. We
have been moving in this direction since our origin in 1968 and will do
so long into the future. ♥
I look forward to hearing from each of our members in this upcoming
year. I will provide more information on how to submit your stories/pictures in future posts here, in print, and other electronic media posts. ♥
7
PRSRT-STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
RALEIGH, NC
PERMIT #1854
Cardiovascular Credentialing International
1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 102
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
www.cci-online.org
STUDY
ULTRASOUND
ALL THE THEORY YOU NEED TO PRACTICE
RCIS Review Course
April 25-26, 2015
Country Springs Inn & Suites
VASCULAR TECHNOLOGY
2810 Golf Road, Pewaukee, WI
ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY
For overnight room accommodations,
please call (262) 547-0201.
AND
AND
BE SUCCESSFUL ON THE REGISTRY
*MOST COURSES ARE WORTH 30 CME CREDITS*
www.burwin.com
1-877-625-5297 (Central Time)
1-800-322-0737 (Atlantic Time)
SICP Members – $150
Non-SICP members – $200
Cost includes all materials and meals.
Online registration: www.wisicp.com
CCI does not endorse nor recommend any review course or review material.