It will be much like pTEE cert. It will slowly catch on as a requirement/ barrier to entry in regions with a surplus of anesthesiologists. Then it will trickle across the country.
Ten years from now, you will see a similar distribution as you do now with pTEE. Some small hospitals, like mine, will have it as a requirement to do hearts (it’s actually in our medical staff bylaws). The more desperate places won’t care.
I’m at a crossroads in my life and career, and I’m considering taking the exam on the next go around. We live in a merit badge world, and as much as I don’t want to fall into the “Jane Doe MBA, MSN, RN, CEN, FBAC, THICC, WAP, EIEIO” trap, the reality is that “merit badge” looks good on the CV. It shows a dedication to continuing education, and staying current. If I can find a locums gig that requires it, I’ll make it a business expense.
In the current environment, it’s overkill, but these environments tend to have swings. If I’m going to add the cardiac component to my traveling work, it’s probably not a terrible idea to have all the certs.
And with everything going to MOCA, thank God, that last rePTEE was a bitch, it will be super easy to maintain cert. I was initially skeptical of the MOCA stuff, but I honestly think it has been much more helpful than the every ten year cram for exam stuff. I’ve learned stuff that I regularly use in practice now, that would have just been missed questions on a recert test.
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