Will hospitals accept me to work in cath lab with current Med/Surg experience and previously worked in a cardio hospital outside of US?

You need at least 2 years Critical Care or ER experience. Critical thinking skills are very important! You alone will be responsible for the care of the patient while the MD will focus on the procedure. You need the ability to act quickly to start critical IV’s to stabilize your patient if needed. There is a difference between stable diagnostic procedures and crash & burn STEMI patients. You need Critical thinking skills to do what needs to be done to keep the patients alive & stable. The MD will expect you to know what IV’s to start and at what rate! There is no waiting for an MD to give you an order and then waiting for the pharmacy to mix whatever you need. You are IT!! You need the knowledge and ability to think and act in seconds. The MD will rely on you to make suggestions and ACT. You need to be able to anticipate the patients clinical response based on what the MD is doing. Cath lab is on a Critical Care level. I always tell new grads to try and get into ICU as soon as they can! With 2 years of Critical Care experience, you can work just about anywhere!

Yes, but you will have to go through orientation meaning work side by side with a preceptor for several weeks.