An onboarding library you can hand to every new hire.

EP lab onboarding is hard. Most labs run a 2-6 week orientation, but the curriculum is usually a binder of mixed-vintage handouts plus shoulder-to-shoulder shadowing. The reference materials a new tech, nurse, NP, or PA actually needs — the kind of working knowledge that lets them function on the floor — are scattered across vendor in-services, society guidelines, institutional protocols, and the senior staff's memory.

This library is the resource your new hires need. It is physician-written (by Dr. Ilyas K. Colombowala, MD, FACC, FHRS — a practicing cardiac electrophysiologist), structured for clinical staff (not patients), and reviewed quarterly. There is no advertising, no industry funding, and no paywall.

Hand out the URL on day one. Print the orientation checklist below. You get a curriculum baseline; we keep the content current.

72 entries across six clinical domains. Every entry has a Key Points block (the 4-6 things to remember if you read nothing else), a structured body (technical specifics — programming defaults, interrogation walk-throughs, complication management), and a Last Reviewed date so you can see what's current.

Section	What's covered	Entries
Conditions	AVNRT, AVRT (with WPW), atrial tachycardia, typical and atypical flutter, AV block, SND, VT, BBB	13
Procedures	AF / atrial flutter / SVT / VT / AVN ablations, EP study, pacemaker/ICD/CRT implants	12
Devices	Transvenous / leadless / S-ICD / EV-ICD / CRT / loop recorder / WATCHMAN / Amulet — with PBL-STOP & PBOP interrogation walk-throughs	13
Drugs	Heparin, protamine, midazolam/fentanyl, propofol, isoproterenol, adenosine, atropine, IV amiodarone	16
Lab Setup	Sterile setup, OR-level technique & discipline, room layout, patches & grounding, fluoroscopy safety, mapping stations (Carto, EnSite X, Affera), industry partners	10
Emergencies	Pericardiocentesis, tamponade recognition, code drugs / ACLS, transcutaneous pacing, defibrillation, anaphylaxis, sedation reversal, contrast reaction	8

A starter framework. Adapt to your lab's volume, staffing model, and the new hire's prior experience. The reading is shorter than it looks — most entries are 5-15 minutes.

Week 1: foundation

Day 1 — Welcome & introduction

• Lab tour, badge/access setup, EMR access
• Read: Room Layout
• Read: OR-Level Sterile Technique & Discipline — most important first-day read
• Shadow morning case

Day 2 — Sterile setup & safety

• Read: Sterile Setup & Field
• Read: Patches & Grounding
• Read: Fluoroscopy Safety
• Practice gowning and gloving with the scrub tech

Day 3 — Conditions: SVT family

• Read: AVNRT, AVRT, Atrial Tachycardia
• Read: SVT Ablation
• Observe an SVT case if scheduled

Day 4 — Conditions: AF and atrial flutter

• Read: Atrial Fibrillation, Typical Flutter, Atypical Flutter
• Read: AF Ablation, Atrial Flutter Ablation
• Observe an AF ablation if scheduled

Day 5 — Conditions: VT, bradycardia, conduction

• Read: VT, AV Block, SND, BBB
• Read: VT Ablation, AVN Ablation

Week 2: devices, drugs, emergencies

Day 6 — Pacemakers

• Read: Pacemaker Overview, Leadless Pacemaker Overview
• Read: Pacemaker Interrogation (PBL-STOP framework)
• Read: Pacemaker Implant

Day 7 — Defibrillators

• Read: Transvenous ICD, S-ICD, EV-ICD
• Read: ICD Interrogation
• Read: ICD Implant

Day 8 — CRT, loop recorder, LAA closure

• Read: CRT-D, CRT Interrogation
• Read: CRT Implant
• Read: Loop Recorder, Loop Recorder Check (PBOP framework)
• Read: WATCHMAN, Amulet

Day 9 — Drugs & sedation

• Read all EP-specific drug entries — heparin, protamine, midazolam/fentanyl, propofol, isoproterenol, adenosine, atropine, IV amiodarone
• Review syringe-labeling protocol with the charge nurse

Day 10 — Mapping systems

• Read: Mapping Station, Carto, Affera, Abbott / EnSite X
• Read: Boston Scientific / Rhythmia
• Shadow a mapping tech during a case

Day 11 — EP emergencies (most important week-2 reading)

• Read: All emergency entries — pericardiocentesis, tamponade recognition, code drugs / ACLS, transcutaneous pacing, defibrillation, anaphylaxis, sedation reversal, contrast reaction
• Walk the code cart with the charge nurse; locate every drug and device referenced
• Practice a tamponade-recognition simulation if your lab does drills

Day 12 — First scrubbed case

• Scrub on a routine case with senior staff
• Re-read OR-Level Sterile Technique the night before
• Debrief with the operator after the case

Day 13 — Lead extraction & high-complexity cases

• Read: Lead Extraction (when added) and complex VT mapping notes
• Observe a lead extraction if scheduled

Day 14 — Assessment & readiness review

• Manager-led check-in: comfort level by domain
• Identify gaps and assign re-reads
• Confirm sterile technique check-off
• Confirm code-cart familiarity

• Pre-case team reads. The charge nurse shares the relevant entry the day before a less-common procedure.
• Journal-club starting points. Key-points blocks make natural discussion prompts.
• Reference during cases. Tablet on the back table; the team can pull the interrogation walk-through mid-case if a question arises.
• RCES / CEPS / CCDS exam prep. Several techs and nurses have used the device and emergencies sections as supplementary reading for credentialing exams.
• Print to PDF for paper-based onboarding binders. Every entry has a print-ready CSS layout. Right-click → Print → Save as PDF.

Free. No fee, no login, no ads. The library is funded personally by Dr. Colombowala; no industry sponsorship influences content.

Linking is encouraged. Link to specific entries from your internal training portal, your fellowship resources page, or your new-hire orientation packet.

Internal printing for orientation — printing entries for an in-house orientation binder, sharing the URL in a hospital intranet, or projecting key-points blocks during pre-case huddles is all encouraged. We ask that the source is cited.

Suggested citation: Colombowala IK. [Entry title]. EP Staff Education. professional.colombowala.com/[path]. Updated [last_reviewed date].

Commercial reuse (CME monetization, study-guide reproduction, exam-prep companies repackaging the content) requires written permission.