When Brooke first started nursing, she had a placement in the Emergency Department where she would often perform 12 Lead Electrocardiograms (ECG’s) to record a patient’s heart rhythm.

It was with this experience that she established a curiosity for analysing heart rhythms, and through her study and dedication, Brooke refined her knowledge and found her passion for Cardiac nursing.

CCT (Cardiac Catheterisation Theatre) is where minimally invasive cardiac procedures are performed using catheter based surgical intervention helping patients with all types of cardiac conditions.

A Cath Lab nurse assists in procedures including Angiograms, Pacemaker insertions, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacements and Electrophysiology Studies to name a few.

She performs a variety of rolls such as scrubbing, scouting, monitoring, assessing patients prior to procedures, administering medications and advocating for patient safety.

“I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare as I had a fascination with hospitals and I find helping patients very rewarding,” Brooke said.

“When I was a graduate nurse, I enjoyed working in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) and watching the patient journey, but I always had a true passion for the intra-operative space in the Cath Lab where we get to do a wide variety of cardiac procedures.

“To work in Cath Lab it requires six months of intensive training on top of your theatre skills where you cover all the key components but I am still learning every day.”

Working in a Cath Lab Brooke explains, once you are fully trained, it requires a commitment to be rostered on-call for emergency procedures after hours.

“I don’t have a favourite but I do find angioplasties (stents) to be very interesting.” Brooke said.

“You need to be good at multitasking, working with doctors and working in a team, it can be stressful, especially during emergencies but it’s a very rewarding job to have.”

“As our surgeries are minimally invasive, our patients can often be up walking in a matter of hours which is wonderful to see.”

Brooke intends to continue expanding her skills and knowledge in the cardiac space and is hoping to do a Post Graduate Scholarship in Cardiology through The Wesley Hospital partner university program.