Cardiovascular Technologists And Technicians Career Opportunities

C ardiovascular                                                       technologists and               Most are trained in 2- to 4-year   technicians are assistants      programs, usually in 2 year        to physicians who diagnose and        courses at junior or community     treat cardiac (heart) and             colleges. Four year programs are   peripheral vascular (blood            becoming more available. Some are  vessel) ailments. There are 3         trained on the job. If one is      areas that they may specialize        qualified in an allied health      in: invasive cardiology,              profession, then only the year of  echocardiography, and vascular        specialized instruction is         technology. Besides this              needed. In certain areas, such as  technical work, he or she may do      for EKG technicians the training   office work, including keeping        is on the job, usually for 8 to    the doctor's appointment              16 weeks.                          calendars, typing the doctors'                                           interpretations, and maintaining      There are currently 33 programs    the equipment.                        accredited by the Joint Review                                           Committee on Education in          Cardiovascular technologists and      Cardiovascular Technology. If you  technicians filled approximately      graduate from one of these         45,000 jobs in 2004. About 75% of     programs, you are eligible to      these jobs were in hospitals          obtain professional                (private and government),             certification.                     primarily in cardiology                                                  departments. They also worked in      Besides the technical              medical and diagnostic                qualifications, an employer is     laboratories, including               likely to give strong              diagnostic imaging centers and in     consideration to a person's        doctors' offices, including           reliability, their mechanical      cardiologists.                        aptitude, and ability to follow    detailed instructions. It is also     Earn?                              useful to have a pleasant,                                               relaxed manner for the patient's      Median annual earnings were        peace of mind.                        $38,690 in May 2004, with half of                                        those in the field earning         Cardiovascular technologists and      between $27,890 and $50,130. The   technicians must be able to:          lowest salaries were under                                               $21,790, and the highest were      • prepare patients for                more than $59,000.                 cardiac catheterization                                                  • monitor patients' blood             A Day in a Cardiovascular          pressure and heart rate               Technologist's Life                • have good communication                                                and record-keeping skills             On a typical day a Cardiovascular  • be physically fit and               technologist will:                 capable to work in stressful          • assist physicians in             conditions.                           diagnosing and treating cardiac                                          and peripheral vascular ailments,  Job growth for cardiovascular                                            technologists and technicians         • assist physicians with           will increase much faster than        cardiac catheterization            the average for all occupations       procedures,                        through the year 2014. This will      • prepare patients for             be partly because of an aging         cardiac catheterization and        population and because of             balloon angioplasty,               technical advances mean less need     • monitor patients' blood          for costlier procedures.              pressure and heart rate with EKG                                         equipment and notify the           How Much Do Cardiovascular            physician if something appears to  Technologists and Technicians         be wrong,                          • possibly prepare and                appropriate equipment settings,    monitor patients during               and change the patient's position  open-heart surgery and during the     as necessary,                      insertion of pacemakers and           • perform Holter monitor           stents,                               and stress testing (if they have   • run noninvasive tests               advanced training).                using ultrasound instrumentation,     I hope this article gives you a    such as Doppler ultrasound,           good idea of what is involved in   • perform medical                     the career of a cardiovascular     histories,                            technologist or technician.        • possibly administer                 Health care is the largest         medication to physically active       industry in the world. In the      patients to assess their heart        U.S. about 14 million people work  function,                             in the health care field. More    • explain certain                     new wage and salary jobs are in    procedures to patients, record        health care than in any other      any additional medical history        industry. (Some figures from      the patient relates, select           Bureau of Labor Statistics.)       About the Author: Mike Clark is the director of Health Care Hiring (http://www.healthcarehiring.com) an online portal to the health care and medical community. Check out this website to find out more about career & training opportunities, and nationwide employer contact information, in the health care and medical sector. Published At: www.Isnare.com