Clinical Component

Navigating the Clinical Component

Your Daily Practice Environment

Your practice focuses on general and non-invasive cardiology, caring for a broad patient population that ranges from young adults with new cardiac symptoms to older patients with complex disease. As the region's referral center, you manage the full range of cardiac conditions, including patients who travel long distances and often wait weeks or months for specialty care.

You will have flexibility in how you structure your week. You can dedicate specific days to imaging and testing and others to clinic. Clinic days take place in the new Heart & Vascular Institute, with 20 exam rooms and co-located cardiac rehab, surgery, electrophysiology, and interventional cardiology, which supports efficient workflow and direct coordination across services.

Non-Invasive Cardiac Services

Your practice is supported by a full range of non-invasive imaging and diagnostics, including echocardiography (TTE, stress echo, TEE), nuclear cardiology, cardiac CT, cardiac MRI, ABI studies, tilt table testing, and ambulatory monitoring (Holter, Zio, Preventis). Most testing is currently hospital-based, with capabilities moving into the new clinic space to place testing closer to clinic workflow.

You will read and interpret your own studies, which avoids outside-read delays. Cardiac CT and MRI are available for physicians with advanced imaging training. TEE experience is preferred, with proctoring or additional training available if needed. Dedicated procedure days keep testing separate from clinic responsibilities, with coordination across the cath lab and electrophysiology services.

Program Highlights

  • Full non-invasive cardiac testing and imaging
  • Echocardiography: TTE, stress echo, inpatient TEE
  • Nuclear stress testing
  • Advanced imaging: cardiac CT and MRI
  • Vascular studies: ABI and peripheral assessments
  • Ambulatory monitoring: Holter, Zio, Preventis
  • Tilt table testing
  • Dedicated testing days separate from clinic
  • Cath lab and electrophysiology coordination on site
  • Cardiothoracic surgery on site (about 50 open-heart cases per year)

Call and Practice Structure

The Great Falls role includes call. The schedule below is a representative example and remains open to discussion during the interview process. When the general cardiology group is fully staffed at four physicians, the intended rotation covers one physician on inpatient service during the week (handling day call and consults), one covering procedures and testing (TEE, stress, echo reads) with limited outpatient time, and two seeing patients in clinic. The consult and procedural roles rotate among the group.

  • First call for nights and weekends is shared 1:4 among the general cardiologists
  • Interventional cardiologists cover STEMI call
  • Off-inpatient weeks generally allow a four-day work week
  • A common pattern is a seven-day on-call stretch followed by four-day work weeks in the other weeks
  • Nurse practitioners can be added to the call mix once the team is full
  • The Helena satellite clinic carries no call

You will join a team that includes 2 cardiothoracic surgeons, 3 interventional cardiologists, 1 electrophysiologist, and 4 nurse practitioners supporting cardiology, plus cardiac surgery advanced practice providers. Nurse practitioners support consults, follow-ups, and routine care so you can focus on complex cases. Locum coverage currently supplements the team while permanent recruitment continues, with some locums committed long term.

Epic is the EMR, supported by nurses, medical assistants, and cardiac technologists familiar with cardiology workflows. Your schedule balances urgent same-day consults with protected time for complex patients.

Practice Support Highlights

  • Shared call 1:4 with interventional colleagues covering STEMI
  • No call at the Helena satellite clinic
  • Epic EMR with cardiology-specific workflows
  • 4 nurse practitioners in the cardiac program
  • Dedicated cardiac testing technologists and clinical staff
  • Coordination with cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology, and electrophysiology
  • Referral base from primary care, the emergency department, and regional hospitals
  • Optional inpatient consults and TEE coverage
  • Regional outreach opportunities if desired
  • Physician-controlled patient volume with strong demand
  • Production paid quarterly with no earning cap
  • Teaching opportunities with residents and medical students

Clinical Autonomy and Program Development

As the region's cardiac referral center, this program gives you room to grow services. Identified gaps in care can be developed into new offerings, with patient volume, referral support, and administrative backing for specialty clinics such as heart failure, preventive cardiology, or women's heart health. Leadership stability, with the same CEO for more than 20 years, supports sustained development.

You will practice with subspecialty support on site, including a cath lab (PCI, atherectomy, IVUS, FFR/iFR, OCT, Impella, IABP), electrophysiology services, and cardiac surgery. This depth lets many complex cases stay local rather than transfer out. Certain advanced procedures currently require patient travel of 4 to 5 hours, which points to where the program can expand as the team grows.

Serving a large rural region means your clinical judgment carries real weight for patients who live hours away. The role offers both professional autonomy and the chance to widen access to cardiac care for an underserved population.

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