by
Sallie Gustafson BSN, CCDS
Director of Medical Affairs
As the Director of Medical Affairs at Murj® with 35+ years of clinical experience, I frequently meet with device clinicians across the country to maintain a direct line of communication and gain a firsthand perspective on the day-to-day realities of managing a cardiac device clinic.
In these high-stakes environments, I am consistently reminded of the significant impact that staffing has on clinic functionality, staff morale, and, most importantly, patient safety. Device clinics are complex, high-stakes environments. Each transmission reviewed represents a person’s life, and your teams bear the critical responsibility of catching potential issues before they escalate.
The reality is that staffing shortages are not just numbers on a schedule—they affect the very core of patient care. Fortunately, the latest HRS consensus statement provides an evidence-based staffing calculator. This tool helps clinics quantify the need and justify appropriate resources for remote transmission volume.
The subsequent reality, however, is that defining the ideal staffing level is only half the battle. The overarching challenge remains: finding and keeping qualified staff to fill those necessary roles.
The growing staffing challenge in cardiac clinics
Understanding and programming cardiac devices is a niche specialty. It is not taught in nursing school or medical school, and only a handful of technical programs exist to train clinicians in this area. These programs often come with significant tuition costs, and device vendors frequently hire graduates by offering competitive salaries that most clinics cannot match.
On-the-job training can take 6-12 months for a novice to become fully proficient, placing additional strain on existing staff who must act as preceptors. This creates a cycle of stress, burnout, and turnover that is difficult to break.
How staffing shortages affect patient care and clinic stability
When clinics face staffing shortages, the burden of responsibility on existing teams becomes immense, creating a profound and immediate stress on staff and operations. This is because behind every transmission is a patient—a person with heart disease, relying on device staff to catch warning signs and intervene before a sentinel event occurs. When clinics are short-staffed, the sheer volume of remote data can be overwhelming. Unreviewed transmissions weigh heavily on clinicians’ minds, contributing to anxiety, low morale, and a sense of personal failure—even when teams are doing everything they can.
The hidden costs of operational backlogs
Staffing shortages don’t just impact patient safety; they also affect clinic operations and financial stability. Missed or delayed remote transmission reviews can result in lost billing opportunities. Disconnected monitors or missed transmissions may create potential legal liability as well as revenue loss. Every operational backlog is a missed opportunity—to optimize staff efficiency, support clinical services, and ensure patient safety.
Charting a path forward: Flexible approaches to operational stability
Recognizing the staffing shortage is only the first step. The real question is, what can clinics do now to ensure patient safety and staff well-being? While hiring and training remain crucial, many clinics are exploring flexible strategies that complement their existing teams rather than replace them.
Flexible approaches can take many forms: temporary staffing support during high-volume periods, hybrid models that blend in-house and remote expertise, or targeted programs to train existing staff for greater independence.
Increasingly, clinics are also looking for partners and platforms that can adapt to their specific workflow realities—whether that means stabilizing transmission volume, outreach to disconnected patients, or supporting staff development over time. Solutions like those offered by Murj are designed around this principle: meeting clinics where they are, rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all model.
By implementing flexible staffing strategies and leveraging technology aligned to their own operational needs, clinics can maintain stability even when staffing challenges persist, reduce burnout, and regain confidence that every transmission is reviewed accurately and on time.
These strategies also provide a roadmap toward long-term self-governance: empowering clinic teams to manage their own workflows efficiently, optimize staff resources, and deliver consistent, high-quality care. When clinics combine IBHRE-certified staffing with adaptable operational support, they stop merely reacting to staffing crises and instead gain the power to proactively foster resilience.
Learn more about practical approaches to building operational stability and supporting device clinic teams at every stage of growth.
Sallie Gustafson, BSN, CCDS, is Murj Director of Medical Affairs. Before joining the company, she led the Cardiac Device Clinic at Emory Healthcare. She now guides clinical strategy, technology implementation, and peer-to-peer education for Murj customers, partners, and the larger cardiac device care community.
