Electrocardiogram, or EKG, technicians play an important role in the health care industry. It's their job to monitor the human heart, to look for potential problems, and to provide doctors with vital information about the condition of their patients.
Before you can qualify for such a career, though, you typically have to go through a training program in order to earn certification. This can involve classes, but it almost always includes some type of externship, sometimes up to three years. The thing is, a lot can happen as you go through this training, and any mistakes can derail your future.
The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm want to make sure that doesn't happen. They know the law, particularly as it applies to students and trainees. They also know how the healthcare industry works. They've helped hundreds of workers respond to misconduct charges of all types. They can protect your rights and help you get the very best possible resolution to your case.
If you're facing a misconduct charge of any type, don't wait to see what might happen. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686, or use this link to set up a confidential consultation.
EKG Technician Training
Most EKG technicians have an associate's or bachelor's degree. It's possible to take classes independently, though, and the fact is, the only education you actually need to be certified is a high school diploma. The one certification requirement that all EKG technicians must meet, though, is externship training. Before you can be certified, you must take a certification exam, and the prerequisite for the exam is on-the-job training.
Training can occur in a variety of settings, from teaching hospitals, to public clinics, to private practices. In all cases, though, you must learn and practice your skills under the guidance of a certified technician. Throughout this process, you're dealing with patients, colleagues, and other healthcare professionals, and you can never be sure when an allegation of unprofessionalism or misconduct might arise.
Disciplinary Expectations
No matter what environment you're training in, you're subject to very specific disciplinary expectations.
- School or Training Program: If your externship is part of a degree program, you'll be held accountable for all of your college or university's disciplinary rules, including Title IX federal prohibitions against sexual discrimination and harassment. You'll also be subject, though, to program rules and the expectations of your instructors.
- Facility: Whether you're training in a public or private hospital, clinic, or practice, you can expect your employer to have rules regarding your behavior. Typically, your facility will provide you with a complete list of these rules. Any violation can lead to dismissal from your position, but it could also very well result in the end of your career. Certification organizations and licensing boards take any negative evaluations from employers into account when deciding whether or not to grant your credentials.
- State Licensing Boards: Depending on what state you live in, you may need a state license in order to work as an EKG technician. State licensing boards have their own set of rules and procedures, as well as their own systems for disciplining misconduct.
- Certification Organizations: There are a number of national EKG technician certifying agencies, including ASET (American Society of Electrocardiogram Technicians, no part of the National Performance Specialists, or NPS, network) and the NHA (National Healthcareer Association). All of these organizations maintain guidelines on ethical and professional behavior (see, for example, the NPS Candidate Handbook, 18).
In most cases, you aren't just subject to one set of rules. For example, you may need to pay attention to your facility, certification organization, and licensing board rules. That can get complicated. It's one of the reasons it's so important to have an attorney from the Lento Law Firm on your side.
Typical Disciplinary Issues
It's crucial that you be familiar with all the expectations on you as an EKG technician. Of course, every institution has its own set of rules, and there are far too many to list them all here. Some of the most common reasons to find yourself in trouble during your training, though, are
- Practice Related Misconduct: You're taking part in a training program, which means you can't know everything on day one. Even so, you're required to gain competence in conducting EKG evaluations. Beyond the technical side of your job, you also need to treat patients with respect, follow all of your supervisor's instructions, communicate effectively with any other healthcare professionals you work with, and maintain high ethical standards.
- Substance Abuse: When you're working in the healthcare industry, mistakes can cost lives. Because it impairs your ability to do your job, any allegation that you're working while under the influence of alcohol and drugs can put a quick end to your career.
- Fraud: Obviously, if you're involved in some sort of complex scheme to defraud insurance companies, you can expect serious repercussions. You can be accused of fraud, though, simply for claiming to have performed a procedure when you didn't.
- Sexual Misconduct: Sexual misconduct can take many forms. Simple verbal harassment can be grounds for dismissal, and you should always check your employer's guidance as to whether or not you're allowed to conduct a relationship with another employee.
No matter what specific charges you might be facing, you can expect the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm to be well-versed in the rules as well as all of your rights under the law.
Defending Yourself
Again, every disciplinary situation is different when it comes to defending yourself. A hospital's procedures will likely differ in small but important ways from a state licensing board's procedures. At a minimum, though, there should be a clear process in place, and you should have some due process rights to help protect you.
Usually, that process will include five parts.
- Initial Review: Just because a patient doesn't like the way you styled your hair in the morning doesn't mean you'll be subject to disciplinary action. In most cases, the governing agency will perform an initial review of accusations to determine if those accusations are credible and actionable.
- Investigation: If the agency decides to proceed with the complaint, they'll then conduct some form of investigation. Usually, you'll be allowed to make a statement. In addition, they'll likely conduct witness interviews and collect any physical evidence.
- Proposed Sanctions: If the investigation turns up actionable evidence of misconduct, the agency will usually recommend a sanction. This could be anything from a warning to termination from the training program. You can, at this point, accept the sanction, but you're under no obligation to do so.
- Hearing: If you wish to challenge the proposed sanction, you can request a full hearing into the matter. In most cases, you're allowed to make opening and closing statements, to present evidence, and to examine and cross-examine witnesses. Keep in mind, though, that these kinds of hearings aren't legal proceedings. There won't be any formal rules of evidence, and whoever decides the case probably won't have to find you guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.” More often, disciplinary committees use a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence,” which allows them to find you guilty if they are more than fifty percent convinced you committed an offense.
- Appeals: In most instances, you'll also have the right to appeal the hearing outcome. This appeal may be to a single administrator, and it usually involves a review of the case rather than a formal hearing. In addition, you may be limited to some specific grounds for appeal.
Misconduct cases aren't legal proceedings, but they can be complex. The governing agency will likely have complicated procedural rules. There may be a strict order to how a hearing is conducted. You need the best help you can find to defend yourself.
The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm are fierce litigators with experience defending clients from all sorts of charges. They don't just practice in the courtroom, though. They've dealt with all types of judicial proceedings, including professional training defenses.
The Lento Law Firm Can Help
EKG technician is a good job with good pay, and it's available to almost anyone who has graduated high school or earned their GED. The one thing that can doom a career, though, is an allegation of misconduct during training.
There's too much at risk to ever take such an allegation lightly. You need the best help you can find—someone who knows the law, who has a background in representing students and trainees, and who has experience helping professionals defend themselves. In short, you need an attorney from the Lento Law Firm.
If you're facing disciplinary action for any reason, find out exactly what the Lento Law Firm can do for you. Contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
