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Home > Find a College > Majors & Careers Central > Profiles > Career: Cardiovascular Technologists

Career: Cardiovascular Technologists

CDC/Dr. Thomas Hooten

Ever wonder how doctors learn a specialty? Some of their training comes from other medical professionals. For example, cardiologists, or heart doctors, learn a lot by working with cardiovascular technologists.

Whether doing echocardiographs (EKGs), stress tests, or blood vessel studies, cardiovascular techs work to get the best possible images and to interpret what they see. They use ultrasound to detect and treat heart attacks as well as blood vessel disease, which can lead to stroke. Researchers are always finding new ways to use the technology, so cardiovascular techs are always learning.

Cardiovascular techs use high-tech equipment to help doctors diagnose and treat heart and vascular (blood vessel) disease. Techs can specialize in invasive cardiology, echocardiography (ultrasound), or vascular technology.

Did You Know?

  • Sonography uses high-frequency sound waves -- ultrasound -- to produce moving images of organs, tissues, and blood flow.

Are You Ready To...?

  • Provide one-to-one care for patients who range from healthy to very sick
  • Interpret test results and share your professional opinion with other medical staff
  • Use good judgment to extend the scope of a procedure according to what the examination reveals
  • Handle emergency patients as well as regularly scheduled ones
  • Spend most of the day on your feet

It Helps to Be...

A problem solver who is equally good with machines and people. Being able to follow detailed instructions is also critical in this job.

Make High School Count

  • Pay attention in science classes, such as physics and biology -- they are the foundation of medical training.
  • Work hard in math, especially algebra.
  • Build strong communication skills in dramatic arts, speech, and English.
  • Take a foreign language so you can work with patients who don't speak English.
  • Play a sport to develop the stamina you’ll need in this physically demanding profession.

Did You Know?

  • Echocardiography shows the anatomy and flow of blood in the heart, its valves, and related blood vessels.

Outlook

Government economists expect jobs for cardiovascular technologists to grow much faster than the average for all workers through 2016.

Heart disease is more common in older people, so the aging of the U.S. population will cause rising demand. Another factor is the increasing use of ultrasound instead of invasive (surgical) procedures. Expect some skills to drop out of the technologist’s job description, though, as lower-level employees start doing basic EKGs and other tests.

Compensation

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that cardiovascular technologists and technicians earned an average annual wage of $48,640 in 2008. Technologists generally earn more than technicians.