Activities	Conduct tests on pulmonary or cardiovascular systems of patients for diagnostic purposes. May conduct or assist in electrocardiograms, cardiac catheterizations, pulmonary-functions, lung capacity, and similar tests.
Outlook	Faster-than-average-job growth
Median Income	$47,000 in 2008
Work Context & Conditions	Technologists and technicians generally work a 5-day, 40-hour week that may include weekends. Those in catheterization labs tend to work longer hours and may work evenings. They also may be on call during the night and on weekends.
Minimum Education Requirements	Associate's Degree
Skills	Learning Strategies, Critical Thinking, Instructing, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Equipment Selection, Time Management, Active Learning, Reading Comprehension, Speaking
Abilities	Oral Expression, Speech Recognition, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision, Speech Clarity, Information Ordering, Inductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension

Job Category		Healthcare Practitioners & Technical
Job Description		Cardiovascular technologists and technicians assist physicians in diagnosing and treating cardiac (heart) and peripheral vascular (blood vessel) ailments. They may specialize in three areas of practice: invasive cardiology, echocardiography, and vascular technology. Cardiovascular technicians who specialize in electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, and Holter monitors are known as cardiographic or EKG technicians. Cardiovascular technologists specializing in invasive procedures are called cardiology technologists. They assist physicians with cardiac catheterization procedures in which a small tube, or catheter, is wound through a patient's blood vessel from a spot on the patient's leg into the heart. The procedure can determine if a blockage exists in the blood vessels that supply the heart muscle and help diagnose other problems. Part of the procedure may involve balloon angioplasty, which can be used to treat blockages of blood vessels or heart valves, without the need for heart surgery. Cardiology technologists assist physicians as they insert a catheter with a balloon on the end to the point of the obstruction. Technologists prepare patients for cardiac catheterization and balloon angioplasty by first positioning them on an examining table and then shaving, cleaning, and administering anesthesia to the top of the patient's leg near the groin. During the procedures, they monitor patients' blood pressure and heart rate using EKG equipment and notify the physician if something appears wrong. Technologists also may prepare and monitor patients during open-heart surgery and the implantation of pacemakers. Cardiovascular technologists who specialize in echocardiography or vascular technology often run noninvasive tests using ultrasound instrumentation, such as doppler ultrasound. Tests are called "noninvasive" if they do not require the insertion of probes or other instruments into the patient's body. While performing the scan, technologists check the image on the screen for subtle differences between healthy and diseased areas, decide which images to include, and judge if the images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes. They also explain the procedure to patients, record additional medical history, select appropriate equipment settings, and change the patient's position as necessary. (See the description of diagnostic medical sonographers in LifeWork's alphabetical list of careers.) Those who assist physicians in the diagnosis of disorders affecting circulation are known as vascular technologists or vascular sonographers. They perform a medical history and evaluate pulses by listening to the sounds of the arteries for abnormalities. Then they perform a noninvasive procedure using ultrasound instrumentation to record vascular information, such as vascular blood flow, blood pressure, limb volume changes, oxygen saturation, cerebral circulation, peripheral circulation, and abdominal circulation. Technologists who use ultrasound to examine the heart chambers, valves, and vessels are referred to as cardiac sonographers, echocardiographers. They use ultrasound instrumentation to create images called echocardiograms. This may be done while the patient is either resting or physically active. Technologists may administer medication to a physically active patient to assess their heart function. Cardiac sonographers may also assist physicians who perform transesophageal echocardiography, which involves placing a tube in the patient's esophagus to obtain ultrasound images. Cardiovascular technicians who obtain EKGs are known as electrocardiograph (or EKG) technicians. To take a basic EKG, which traces electrical impulses transmitted by the heart, technicians attach electrodes to the patient's chest, arms, and legs, and then manipulate switches on an EKG machine to obtain a reading. A printout is made for interpretation by the physician. This test is done before most kinds of surgery and as part of a routine physical examination, especially for persons who have reached middle-age or have a history of cardiovascular problems. Some cardiovascular technologists and technicians schedule appointments, type doctor interpretations, maintain patient files, and care for equipment. EKG technicians with advanced training perform Holter monitor and stress testing. For Holter monitoring, technicians place electrodes on the patient’s chest and attach a portable EKG monitor to the patient’s belt. Following 24 or more hours of normal activity by the patient, the technician removes a tape from the monitor and places it in a scanner. After checking the quality of the recorded impulses on an electronic screen, the technician usually prints the information from the tape so that a physician can interpret it later. Physicians use the output from the scanner to diagnose heart ailments, such as heart rhythm abnormalities or problems with pacemakers. For a treadmill stress test, EKG technicians document the patient’s medical history, explain the procedure, connect the patient to an EKG monitor, and obtain a baseline reading and resting blood pressure. Next, they monitor the heart’s performance while the patient is walking on a treadmill, gradually increasing the treadmill’s speed to observe the effect of increased exertion. Like vascular technologists and cardiac sonographers, cardiographic technicians who perform EKG, Holter monitor, and stress tests are known as “noninvasive” technicians.
Working Conditions		Technologists and technicians generally work a 5-day, 40-hour week that may include weekends. Those in catheterization labs tend to work longer hours and may work evenings. They also may be on call during the night and on weekends. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians must be accurate and thorough. They spend a lot of time walking and standing indoors. Those who work in catheterization labs may face stressful working conditions, because they are in close contact with patients with serious heart ailments. Some patients, for example, may encounter complications from time to time that have life or death implications.
Salary Range		Median annual earnings of cardiovascular technologists and technicians were $47,000 in 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $32,800 and $61,600. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $25,500, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $74,800. Median annual earnings of cardiovascular technologists and technicians in 2008 were $48,590 in offices of physicians and $46,670 in general medical and surgical hospitals.

Education Required		Although a few cardiovascular technologists, vascular technologists, and cardiac sonographers are currently trained on the job, most receive training in 2- to 4-year programs. Cardiovascular technologists, vascular technologists, and cardiac sonographers normally complete a 2-year junior or community college program. The first year is dedicated to core courses followed by a year of specialized instruction in either invasive, noninvasive cardiovascular, or noninvasive vascular technology. Those who are qualified in a related allied health profession only need to complete the year of specialized instruction. Most EKG technicians are trained on the job by an EKG supervisor or a cardiologist. On-the-job training usually lasts about 8 to 16 weeks. Most employers prefer to train people already in the health care field—nursing aides, for example. Some EKG technicians are students enrolled in 2-year programs to become technologists, working part time to gain experience and make contact with employers. One-year certification programs exist for basic EKGs, Holter monitoring, and stress testing.
Recommended High School Courses		Computers and Electronics, Biology, Mathematics, English, Chemistry
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Education and Training, Engineering and Technology, Biology, Computers and Electronics, Mechanical, Medicine and Dentistry, Clerical
Certification and Licensing		Graduates from the 31 programs accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Cardiovascular Technology are eligible to obtain professional certification through Cardiovascular Credentialing International in cardiac catheterization, echocardiography, vascular ultrasound, and cardiographic techniques. Cardiac sonographers and vascular technologists may also obtain certification with the American Registry of diagnostic medical sonographers.

Interest Area		Investigative Involves working with ideas and requires an extensive amount of thinking.
Work Values		Company Policies and Practices Treated fairly by the company. Moral Values Never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong. Social Service Do things for other people.
Skills		Learning Strategies Use multiple approaches when learning or teaching new things. Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Instructing Teach others how to do something. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Service Orientation Actively look for ways to help people. Equipment Selection Determine the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job. Time Management Manage one's own time and the time of others. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Speech Recognition Identify and understand the speech of another person Deductive Reasoning Able to apply general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers, including deciding whether an answer makes sense. Problem Sensitivity Able to tell when something is wrong or likely to go wrong. This doesn't involve solving the problem, just recognizing that there is a problem. Near Vision Able to see details of objects at a close range (within a few feet of the observer). Speech Clarity Able to speak clearly so listeners understand. Information Ordering Able to correctly follow rules for arranging things or actions in a certain order, including numbers, words, pictures, procedures, and logical operations. Inductive Reasoning Able to combine separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why seemingly unrelated events occur together. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

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Job Outlook		Cardiovascular technologists and technicians held about 49,500 jobs in 2008. About 3 out of 4 jobs were in hospitals (public and private), primarily in cardiology departments. The remaining jobs were mostly in offices of physicians, including cardiologists, or in medical and diagnostic laboratories, including diagnostic imaging centers. Employment of cardiovascular technologists and technicians is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2018. Growth will occur as the population ages, because older people have a higher incidence of heart problems. Employment of vascular technologists and echocardiographers will grow as advances in vascular technology and sonography reduce the need for more costly and invasive procedures. Employment of EKG technicians is expected to decline, as hospitals train nursing aides and others to perform basic EKG procedures. Individuals trained in Holter monitoring and stress testing are expected to have more favorable job prospects than those who can only perform a basic EKG. Some job openings for cardiovascular technologists and technicians will arise from replacement needs, as individuals transfer to other jobs or leave the labor force. Relatively few job openings, due to both growth and replacement needs are expected, however, because the occupation is small.
More Information		Cardiovascular Credentialing International, Society of Vascular Technology, American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, American Society of Echocardiography, Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals, Joint Review Committee on Education in Cardiovascular Technology, Committee on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos100.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/29-2031.00