Navigating Study Resources for RCIS Exam Success: A Comprehensive Guide

Let’s go over a question that I got in my DMs and I don’t think I’ve ever directly addressed it said, hello, how do you feel about GNS, the Glarke and Summers? I purchased your RCIS bundle, but I’m not sure if I should get some extra supplemental material to prepare. And then do you create your books based on the RCIS test criteria? So hopefully you guys know answer to the second one. Yes, I create my books based on the RCIS matrix, both my personal experience, students that well as the materials that they say that they use and the testing matrix that is public information. It’s published a year ahead of any changes. So I’ve had that for a long time now. And that is what I worked on this third edition for to make sure that it addresses everything in those topics that are outlined. So the first question, a bit controversial, but I don’t care. And anybody who’s asked me my DMs, you know, I answer this open and honestly, and I’ve been educating in this space for eight years. So if you do the math, my business hasn’t been around for eight years, even though I’ve been teaching and lecturing and had all the information and all of the things. I never formally organized it into a study guide like I have now. So before, to be transparent, my students in CBT program I taught in, I used West Todd. And the reason for that is I have them for two years. So if you start trickling in that information over the two years, it works really well as a supplemental education guide. I personally have not used GNS for the two times that I’ve taken the exam because I retake it every time that I’m up for renewal, just every three years. But I know plenty who have. I know people like it. I have seen their material. I’ve listened to the audio. It just doesn’t resonate with me personally, which is why I made this study guide for visual learners, people who get overwhelmed and maybe really do need something aesthetically pleasing, laid out in a way that isn’t overwhelming, that builds up their confidence, but is still a high level and still has all the information that you need. So that’s why I made mine. Now, is there anything wrong with using somebody else’s? Absolutely not. Obviously, I did for the first time I took the RCIS, right? Having said, I want to be really clear. Like, it doesn’t really matter what you use. It’s the fact that you choose something and you commit yourself to it 100 percent. Could you use a combination as a supplemental? Absolutely. So in the instructions in this guide, I actually addressed that. So what I suggest is you pick whatever resonates with you the most as your primary. So then what I would do, let’s say I was using the study guide and I had access to something else or even like YouTube videos or other Instagram accounts or a derivative or Rigo stuff or Kern. What I would do is if I was going through my study guide, that was my primary, I would pull in resources in places where I was unsure. So in the instructions, it’ll talk about part B and part C. So what you’re not 100 percent on and then what you’ve like never heard of before, you’re going to need to pull from other resources and be OK. Now she has the RCIS bundle, so she has the orientation manual. So she could pull over things from that and say, OK, I need to learn more hemodynamics. Let me go to this resource, build up my confidence in it and knowledge in it. And then when I go back to my study guide, does this make sense now? Yes. Is there a little graphic I want to pull over to help me better understand that? Yes. So that is where you’re going to use other material. What I mostly suggest is not to have a primary that’s a study guide and a secondary that’s a study guide. What would be best if you have a primary that’s a study guide because that’s like your guideline for how to take in all of the information that’s out there and organize it. But a secondary that would be great is Kern, for instance. So that any concept in my primary I don’t understand, I have a secondary resource to pull in from. If you have my RCIS bundle, the orientation manual is your secondary resource to pull additional information from over into your primary. So I hope that makes sense. And like I told this person who messaged me in my DMs, the greatest advice I could give you is that the study guide doesn’t really make or break the outcome. What the person does with the material that they’re using is what makes them successful. So if you know any of the resources out there, 100 percent cover to cover, you probably will be successful. If you understand every single concept in my study guide and it really makes sense and is clear to you and you have a deep conceptual understanding, you will be successful. It’s what you make of what you have access to. The worst thing that you could do is try to be great at everything because that’s unrealistic. Right. If I have six books in front of me, I might know each of them, maybe 20 to 30 percent. And you just hope that 20 to 30 percent equals 100 percent that’s on your exam. Right. Knowing a singular thing 100 percent and committing to that and then pulling in resources to help you get to that 100 percent in that primary resource. I get this question a lot and there’s validity in every study guide out there. There’s validity in every material out there. There’s pros and cons to everything. Everybody’s journey is so unique and specific. Maybe you went to a program, maybe you didn’t, maybe you have three months to pass, maybe you have a year to pass. Maybe you’re starting now and it’s next week. Maybe you’re starting now and you don’t test for another year. Maybe you have time on your side. Maybe you don’t. Maybe you have exposure to complex PCI and peripherals and TAVR. Maybe you don’t. Maybe you were competes and you’ve never done an adult cath. So everybody’s journey is so different. And that’s why I really just want you to pick whatever works best with you so that you feel confident that you will be successful and that you see that success. Now if you have any other specific questions, please feel free to DM me at any time. I will help you where I can. I will also might ask you a lot of questions. So I’m sorry in advance for that. But again, there’s no one size fits all answer. I don’t like to give cookie cutter answers. I like to give personalized answers based on your experience because I understand how different each lab is and how different each individual is and where they came from and what their education experience is. If you have your exam coming up, good luck. You got this.