Americans are living longer, partly because of advancingtechnology in cardiology. One such piece of equipment is theelectrocardiogram (EKG), which records a patient's heart activity.The EKG is operated by specially trained professionals calledcardiographic technicians, or EKG technicians.
An EKG records the electrical changes that occur in the heartduring a heartbeat. These records are used by a cardiologist todiagnose irregularities.
An EKG technician prepares the patient for an EKG by placingelectrodes on the patient's chest, arms and legs. The technicianrecords the patient's heartbeat while the patient is resting or doingmild exercise. EKG technicians must be able to identify irregularreadings and recognize problems with the equipment, which couldprevent an accurate reading. EKG technicians also are trained toperform Holter monitoring (a 24-hour EKG monitor worn by a patient)and cardiac stress testing.
Employment opportunities are good for EKG technicians, largelybecause of the aging population. Most technicians work in hospitals;however, employment opportunities also exist in clinics and privatephysicians' offices.
To become an EKG technician, a person usually receives formaltraining through a one- or two-year community college program.However, some hospitals offer on-the-job training as well. Thecollege programs emphasize cardiac technology. High school studentsconsidering a career as an EKG technician should take biology,anatomy, chemistry and health courses.
Salaries for EKG technicians start in the mid-teens.
For more information on health careers, please write to theHealth Careers department of the Metropolitan Chicago HealthcareCouncil, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Chicago, IL 60606.
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