Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) — Requirements & Free Practice

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Licenses, application pathways and examination requirements

Each license and applicant pathway has its own requirements and exemptions. Choosing practice questions does not determine your eligibility.

Initial by examination

Eligibility: High school diploma or GED and one RCIS qualification pathway (RCIS235, RCIS4, or RCIS5), with required documentation; CCI determines application approval.

Provider: Pearson Professional Centers
Format: computer-based
Exam questions: Total questions: 170; Scored questions: 150; Unscored questions: 20; The total includes the scored and unscored questions.
Time limit: three hours
Passing score: 650 scaled score
Exam fee: $365 USD

Examination outline

Conducting Pre-Procedural Activities (8%)
- Prepare procedure/control room
- Prepare patient and personnel
- Review and validate patient or procedure information
Conducting Diagnostic Procedures (40%)
- Monitor patient vital signs
- Left heart catheterization
- Right heart catheterization
- 12-Lead ECG analysis
- Intra-cardiac imaging
- Intra-vascular imaging
- Cardiac ultrasound structures
- Fractional flow reserve studies
- Radiation safety
- Radiographic procedures
- Acquire or interpret radiographic images
- Anticipate pharmacologic intervention
- Recognize medication effects
- Vascular access
Conducting Interventional Procedures (34%)
- Device implants
- Coronary interventions
- Vascular closure devices
- Complex coronary interventions
- Peripheral interventions
- Complex peripheral interventions
- Mechanical circulation support
- Transvenous temporary pacemaker
- Pericardiocentesis
- Cardiac thrombectomy
- Peripheral thrombectomy
- Distal protection devices
- Nonvalvular structural heart therapies
- Percutaneous valve interventions
Responding to Emergency Procedures and Protocols (13%)
- Emergency clinical presentations
- Coronary intervention complications
- Peripheral and structural heart complications
- Emergency equipment
Conducting Post-Procedural Activities (5%)
- Arterial and venous hemostasis
- Access site complications
- Post-procedure patient education
- Report and transfer of care

Examination sources