See If Becoming An Echocardiography Tech Is The Career For You - Learn About ECG, EKG Tech Training
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Echocardiography Tech Job Description
Working as a cardiovascular technologist allows you to choose a specialty between different procedures. If helping a doctor assess and treat heart problems interests you, but you want to work with non-invasive methods, perhaps an echocardiography tech is the specialty for you. Also known as an echocardiographer or cardiac sonographer, a echocardiography tech can evaluate the heart valves, chambers and vessels by using ultrasound equipment. The images they take are echocardiograms, and they can be done either when the patient is active or at rest and can determine the patient's heart function.
Electrocardiography, ECG or EKG, is another method to test the patient's heart capacity by attaching electrodes all over the patient's body that monitor the electrical impulses that are sent out by the heart. There are different types of EKG testing, like Holter monitor testing, that checks a patient's read-out over 24 hours, or treadmill stress testing, which has the patient gradually working harder on a treadmill to detect the changes in the reading. An EKG tech will take these readings as part of a basic exam, especially before surgery.
Required Education
An echocardiography technologist must have at least a 2 year associate's degree, but EKG training to become a technician can be achieved in 2 ways.
You can either get a 1 year certificate as an EKG, or you can simply get on the job training, which is common, that could take about 18-24 months. Also, it is normal for people from other health care fields to transfer to become an EKG tech, so in that case, on the job training usually only takes about 4-6 weeks.
Technicians don't need to be certified to work, but it is recommended for technologists to gain at least one certification from the Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) or the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS). The more certifications obtained, the better the opportunity for advancement.
Career Prospects
The future for echocardiographers is promising, since sonography will continue to develop and replace many of the more expensive invasive procedures. EKG technicians however, will be less needed since many nursing aides are starting to be trained to do basic EKG testing.
On average, an echocardiographer makes about $60,000 a year while an EKG technician only earns about $10.50 an hour. They may seem like similar career paths, but it is important to understand their differences and the training you need to pursue to become an echocardiography tech.
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