Prior to deciding which one of the various medical fields is the right one for you, our advice is to get acquainted with duties, responsibilities, and necessary education which will make you reach that career.
No matter whether you want to be a licensed medical worker or provide patient care as a licensed member of the medical team, you first need to get acquainted with the job you will do after your education is done.
If you have asked yourself what an EKG technician is, we are here to provide you with a brief description of this profession.
Our aim is to help you learn more about the cardiovascular specialty before deciding on a specific career path.
The EKG technician career is ideal for you due to a high level of growth and an above-average influx of patients who suffer from chronic conditions like that of diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.
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Concerning Health Statistics
In the past decades, cardiovascular disease has become one of the top contributors to morbidity and mortality in the United States.
It is estimated that over 700,000 people die each year from its effects and according to the American Heart and Stroke Association, cardiac disease is the leading cause of death around the World.
Even though the death rates in the US caused by heart disease have declined in recent years, the number of people at risk is increasing and the healthcare system has to maintain access to care, so the medical workers are experiencing growing demand.
The Growing Dependence on Allied Health Personnel
Considering the fact that employers cannot meet the needs of licensed professionals, they have been employing unlicensed assistants who are capable of conducting activities associated with the comprehensive diagnosis and the treatment of patients.
It is our suggestion to always tend to reach certification, as even though the unlicensed providers can find employment, they are not able to engage in the advanced practices of registered nurses and physicians and their job prospects and salaries are always ower.
Nevertheless, their contribution is essential to the provision of care process and is critical to sustaining an efficient and effective operation, in the situation when there is a lack of licensed EKG technicians.
Common Work Responsibilities
As we have already mentioned, you are not required to possess certification as most states do not license technicians working in cardiac care.
However, they are not able to perform tasks that require the knowledge, judgment, and skills of the licensed provider, so in some medical establishments, candidates with a license will be given preference.
The nursing staff in the cardiovascular department have numerous duties, including things such as electrocardiogram administration, medical record documentation, operating computerized equipment, retrieving and editing reports, using billing software to reconcile charges and credits, processing reports, assisting with procedures, filing charts, hooking up and disconnecting the monitors, ensuring safety and infection control, quality improvement implementation, demonstrating professionalism and a commitment to customer care, and much more which definitely require appropriate knowledge, training, and skills.
Education and Training Requirements
The way of becoming an EKG technician is not easy, but many people decide to take it due to the fact that it is much shorter than with some other medical careers.
Education and training are components of the specialty that need to be taken into consideration before choosing to pursue this career path.
You should have in mind that employees are generally not required to comply with licensing law and can find work with only a high school diploma or GED if they are lucky enough, and then get the advanced training.
Also, a college degree might make it easier to secure employment, but it is usually not required.
You can decide to enter certain medical facilities in the US which have created in-house orientation and training programs that are specifically designed to give new employees, those who have already found a job, the knowledge and skills they need to better understand what is an EKG technician.
When your education is in question, we highly suggest that you visit the institutions in the community and contact them to learn about their preferred credentialing process before enrolling in coursework.
That way you will ensure that both your time and money are not wasted in the pursuit of career advancement.
An organization that has chosen to outsource their training will typically provide a list of approved programs and courses.
Topics Often Included in the Curriculum
No matter which educational program you choose to attend, all of them are designed to prepare new technicians to perform daily responsibilities and to pass a certification exam.
Many states have no laws requiring certification, but there are employers who want to employ only professionals who have demonstrated that they are competent and have met common standards within the specialty.
Core topics that you will learn during your studies typically include things like human anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, CPR and first aid, electrocardiograms, electronic records, customer care, and more.
Due to the fact that cardiac evaluations tend to use a lot of technology, you will need to learn how to do phonocardiograms, echocardiograms, stress tests, hemodynamic monitors, thermodilution cardiac output, pacemaker analyzers, Grollmann catheters, image storage systems, vascular filters, and others.
Other Considerations to Understand What is an EKG Technician
We hope that now you understand what an EKG technician is.
Bear in mind that his/her duties may vary, as their role within an organization and the activities that they will be assigned will not be the same every day.
Some people will end up spending the majority of the day administering a small set of tests while others are tasked with a diverse array of activities.
Those who have worked in the field for a number of years and have experience will be responsible for several administrative tasks such as training new employees, helping resolve customer conflicts, implementing quality improvement initiatives, providing performance reviews, contributing to business strategy meetings, and much more.
