EKG Technician Salary

Pros And Cons: Comparing The EKG Technician Salary With Other Allied Health Care Careers

If you found out what the salary was for technician jobs in other allied medical services, would you still opt to become an EKG technician? How does an EKG technician salary compare in terms of actual responsibilities and EKG technician training required?

Although some EKG technicians can receive an annual salary of up to $65,000, several variables have already been taken into consideration to reach this amount, including experience, expertise, whether or not you've attended EKG tech schools, workplace and location. That's probably the upper five percent among EKG technicians making that much.

Generally, especially if you're just starting from an entry-level position, you can earn from $20,000 to $22,000. This means you're a general EKG technician using the simplest testing equipment, the electrocardiograph. Beyond operating that machine, most of your duties are clerical or administrative: filling up insurance forms, updating medical records, preparing billings and scheduling appointments.

EKG technician vs pharmacy technician

A pharmacy technician may not necessarily have formal training. Like an EKG technician, you can get the position and learn on-the job. But handling prescription drugs is far more sensitive than operating an EKG machine, so your training at work takes longer to master.  Moreover, the job is more demanding often requiring you to be on your feet for extended periods of time as you fill patient prescriptions. In terms of salary, an EKG technician and pharmacy technician earn about the same rate for less than a year of employment: from $9.00 to $11.00 an hour. 

With additional training, particularly knowing the Holter monitoring and stress testing procedures, you are expected to earn a higher EKG technician salary and certification is not required. A pharmacy technician usually requires certification to qualify for higher salary. But once certified salary increases are normal. 

Medical assistant salary vs EKG technician salary

One of the more in demand careers in the health care industry, medical assistants perform a variety of functions including clinical and administrative. Often in doctor's clinics, you are tasked with preparing patients for any procedures or tests that may be administered to help in diagnosis. You are also responsible for mostly administrative work. Training for medical assistants are either one or two year programs.  For medical assistants with less than a year of experience, they can earn from $19,000 to $31,000, depending on their skills, a much bigger range than the starting EKG technician salary.

Surgical technician and EKG technician

Of technician jobs that do not require a four-year degree, the surgical technologist is said to earn the highest. With an associate degree, the starting salary for surgical technicians is a high $32,000. Of course, it is given their training is more encompassing and intensive but very little emphasis is given to actual experience in determining pay. If paid an hourly rate, they earn from $13.23 to $26.11 even at the entry level.

The work is far more demanding and requires a higher level of expertise. Compared to an echocardiography tech, even one who is knowledgeable about advanced procedures, the surgical technician still deserves the higher pay. But at the same time, with dedication and the desire to keep learning, you can increase your EKG technician salary significantly over time. 

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