Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist (RCES)
ATTENTION: Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist
Exam Changes Effective March 1, 2012 Click here for details
RCES: Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist
Requires: Passing the one-part Electrophysiology Registry Examination
Who Should Apply: Professionals working in the area of electrophysiology
RCES Specialty Exam Fee: $350
Click here for information on ordering the Self Assessment Examination
RCES Navigation
All applicants must meet the following criteria:
1. Have a high school diploma or general education diploma at the time of application.
2. Fulfill one (1) of the qualifications of the exam for which you are applying. See qualifications listed in the tables below.
3. Provide typed documentation to support the qualification under which you are applying. Required documentation for each qualification is listed below. CCI reserves the right to request additional information.
Changes to the qualification criteria have been made and will be effective for applicants submitting their applications on or after July 1, 2013. To review the revised qualifications, please visit www.cci-online.org or contact CCI headquarters.
| Qualification Prerequisite # | Qualification Prerequisite | Supporting Documentation |
| RCES1 | Two (2) years (full-time or full-time equivalent) in Electrophysiology at the time of application. |
Employment Verification Letter (Should be not older than six months from the date the application is received at CCI Headquarters) |
| RCES2 | An Associate Degree or equivalent college hours (62 semester hours) in health, science, natural science, nursing, engineering, or any primary science and one (1) year (full-time or full-time equivalent) in Electrophysiology at the time of application. |
Completion certificate and/or educational transcript AND Employment Verification Letter (Should be not older than six months from the date the application is received at CCI Headquarters) |
| RCES3 | A baccalaureate degree in health, science, natural science, nursing, engineering, or any primary science and six (6) months (full-time or full-time equivalent) in Electrophysiology at the time of application. |
Completion certificate and/or educational transcript AND Employment Verification Letter (Should be not older than six months from the date the application is received at CCI Headquarters) |
| RCES4 |
A graduate of an accredited program in Electrophysiology. ** |
Completion certificate and/or educational transcript AND Student Verification Letter |
| RCES5 | A graduate of a NON-programmatically accredited program in Electrophysiology which has a minimum of one (1) year of specialty training and includes a minimum of 800 clinical hours in the specialty in which the examination is being requested. |
Completion certificate and/or educational transcript AND Student Verification Letter AND Clinical Verification Letter* |
* IMPORTANT: If an individual’s clinical hours were obtained after graduation or if the hours are not a requirement for their educational program, then those hours WOULD NOT count toward the 800-hour minimum under qualification RCES5.
** An accredited program is accredited by an agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), United States Department of Education (USDOE), or Canadian Medical Association (CMA) that specifically conducts programmatic accreditation for cardiovascular technology, diagnostic cardiac sonography, or vascular technology.
Click here for sample Employment Verification Letter, Student Verification Letter and Clinical Verification Letter (Graduates of Non-accredited Programs in EP).
CCI requires the Employment Verification Letter contain the following:
1) Employer’s original, official letterhead or stationery.
2) Indicate the date the letter was signed by employer/supervisor.
3) Indicate the name of the applicant.
4) Indicate full- or part-time employment.
5) Indicate the time period of employment.
6) Indicate the primary duties of applicant, related to the field of cardiovascular technology.
7) Original signature of direct supervisor, who must be a MD or hold an active RCCS, RCES, RCIS, RCS, RDCS, RDMS, RPhS, RVS or RVT credential.
CCI requires the Student Verification Letter contain the following:
1) Educational program’s original, official letterhead or stationery.
2) Indicate the date the letter was signed by educational director.
3) Indicate the name of the applicant.
4) Indicate full- or part-time student.
5) Indicate the date or expected date of graduation.
6) Indicate the specialty of the educational program.
7) For Non-programmatically accredited educational programs, indicate the program length, program specialty and the number and specialty of clinical hours accrued.
8) Original signature of the educational director.
CCI requires the Clinical Verification Letter contain the following:
1) Clinical Site’s original, official letterhead or stationery.
2) Indicate the date the letter was signed by the clinical supervisor.
3) Indicate the name of the applicant.
4) Indicate the number of clinical hours.
5) Indicate the time period during which the clinical hours were performed.
6) Original signature of the clinical supervisor.
IMPORTANT: If an individual’s clinical hours were obtained after graduation or if the hours are not a requirement for their educational program, then those hours WOULD NOT count toward the 800 hour minimum under qualification RCES5.
Exam Overview Thursday, May 19th 2011 1:00 AM
| This examination matrix is provided to illustrate the general distribution of questions and the relative weight or emphasis given to a skill or content area on the examination. | |||
| Conducting Pre-procedural Activities | 25% | ||
| Conducting Intra-procedural Activities | 21% | ||
| Conducting Post-Procedural Activities | 7% | ||
| Performing Diagnostic Studies | 13% | ||
| Performing Therapeutic Procedures | 18% | ||
| Collecting Data | 11% | ||
| Communicating With Patients and the Health Care Team | 5% | ||
| Total | 100% | ||
| The list below describes general areas of knowledge that are needed in order to perform the tasks identified. This knowledge will apply across multiple tasks. | |||
| 12-lead ECG placement and interpretation | |||
| Ablation physics | |||
| Arrhythmia recognition and diffrential diagnosis | |||
| ACLS | |||
| ACT equipment operation | |||
| GeneralAnatomy and Physiology | |||
| Basic chemistry | |||
| Basic cardiac device technology | |||
| Basic electronics | |||
| Basic pharmacology | |||
| Basic radiology | |||
| Basic ultrasound | |||
| Biohazardous waste disposal | |||
| BLS | |||
| Body mechanics | |||
| Cabling connectology | |||
| Calibration of equipment | |||
| X-Ray Camera angles | |||
| Cardiac action potential | |||
| Cardiac Anatomy & Physiology | |||
| Cardiovascular pathophysiology | |||
| Procedural equipment | |||
| Collection and handling of lab specimens | |||
| Congenital anomalies and EP (Ebstein's, ASD, etc) | |||
| Normal and abnormal/critical lab values | |||
| Defibrillation theory | |||
| Device programmer operation(s) | |||
| Intracardiac electrogram (EGM) interpretation | |||
| Electrocautery | |||
| Basic Electrophysiology theory and concepts | |||
| Basic cardiac device theory | |||
| Equipment operation and compatability and troubleshooting | |||
| Hemodynamics | |||
| Hemostasis | |||
| Image processing and interpretation | |||
| Implantable cardiac device systems | |||
| Indications for electrophysiology procedures | |||
| Regulatoryand legal issues (orders, consent, power of attorney, etc.) |
|||
| Magnetic fields | |||
| Mapping concepts | |||
| Mechanisms of arrhythmias | |||
| Medical terminology | |||
| Medication administration and dosages | |||
| Monitoring equipment operations and troubleshooting | |||
| MSDS | |||
| Normal and abnormal vital signs | |||
| Pain management | |||
| Patient care and assessment | |||
| Patient positioning | |||
| Phlebotomy | |||
| Potential complications for all procedures - symptoms, treatment, etc. | |||
| Moderate Sedation | |||
| Sterile techniques | |||
| Stimulation protocols | |||
| Universal Protocol | |||
| Vascular intervention procedures | |||
| The task list below describes the activities which an Electrophysiology Specialist is expected to perform on the job. All examination questions are linked to these tasks. | |||
| A | Conducting Pre-Procedural Activities | 25% | |
| 1 | Prepare Procedure Room | ||
| 2 | Prepare sterile table | ||
| 3 | Ensure regulatory compliance | ||
| 4 | Perform patient identification | ||
| 5 | Review patient laboratory results | ||
| 6 | Review patient medical record | ||
| 7 | Verify physician's orders | ||
| 8 | Verify/obtain patient consent | ||
| 9 | Start patient IV | ||
| 10 | Insert/apply urinary catheter | ||
| 11 | Transport patients to procedure room | ||
| 12 | Prepare patients for invasive procedures | ||
| 13 | Prepare patients for non-invasive procedures | ||
| B | Conducting Intra-Procedural Activities | 21% | |
| 1 | Maintain patient comfort | ||
| 2 | Monitor vital signs of patients | ||
| 3 | Administer medications to patients | ||
| 4 | Monitor ACT (Activated Clotting Time) | ||
| 5 | Acquire Radiographic Images | ||
| 6 | Evaluate Implanted ICDs and Pacemakers | ||
| 7 | Place central venous lines | ||
| 8 | Place arterial lines | ||
| C | Conducting Post-Procedural Activities | 7% | |
| 1 | Remove Arterial Catheters | ||
| 2 | Remove Venous Catheters | ||
| 3 | Prepare Patient for Transfer to Recovery | ||
| 4 | Reset Procedure Room | ||
| D | Performing diagnostic studies | 13% | |
| 1 | Position diagnostic catheters | ||
| 2 | Perform stimulation protocols | ||
| 3 | Perform venography | ||
| 4 | Perform tilt table test | ||
| E | Performing Therapeutic Procedures | 18% | |
| 1 | Assist physicians with vascular interventions | ||
| 2 | Assist transseptal puncture | ||
| 3 | Assist Physician with Ablation | ||
| 4 | Assist Physicians with lead extractions | ||
| 5 | Assist with periocardiocentesis | ||
| 6 | Assist Physicians with Implant Devices | ||
| F | Collecting Data | 11% | |
| 1 | Analyze ECG | ||
| 2 | Analyze EGMs. | ||
| G | Communicating With Patients and the Health Care Team | 5% | |
| 1 | Update family regarding patients | ||
| 2 | Summarize procedural data | ||
| 3 | Hand off patients (reporting) | ||
| 4 | Conduct patient education and training | ||
- Cardiac Arrhythmia: Mechanisms, Diagnosis&Management, 2nd Edition, Philip Podrid and Peter Kowye, 2001.
- Electrophysiologic Testing, 4th Edition, Richard Fogoros, 2006.
- Cardiac Pacing and ICDs, 3rd Edition, Kenneth Ellenbogen, MD and Mark Wood, MD, 2005.
- Drugs for the Heart, 6th Edition, Lionel Opie and Bernard Gersh, 2004.
- Cardiac Pacing and Defibrillation: A Clinical Approach, David Hayes, Margaret Lloyd and Paul Friedman, 2000.
- Device Therapy for Congestive Heart Failure, Kenneth Ellbogen, MD, G. Neal Kay, MD, and Bruce Wilcoff, MD, 2003.
- Resynchronization and Defibrillation for Heart Failure: A Practical Approach, David Hayes, MD, Paul Wang, MD, Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein, MD, Samuel Asivatham, MD, 2004.
- Handbook of Cardiac Electrophysiology: A Practical Guide to Invasive EP Studies and Catheter Ablation, Francis Murgatroyd, Andrew Krahn, George Klein, Raymond Yee, and Allan Skanes, 2002.
- ACLS Handbook, 2006 Revision, AHA.
- Catheter Ablation of Cardiac Arrhythmias: Basic Concepts and Clinical Applications, David Wilbur, MD, Douglas Packer, MD, and William Stevenson, MD 2008.