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The differences between cardiac sonographers and cardiovascular technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a cardiac sonographer and a cardiovascular technician. Additionally, a cardiac sonographer has an average salary of $79,641, which is higher than the $62,986 average annual salary of a cardiovascular technician.
The top three skills for a cardiac sonographer include patients, registry and RDCS. The most important skills for a cardiovascular technician are patients, BLS, and patient care.
| Cardiac Sonographer | Cardiovascular Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $79,641 | $62,986 |
| Hourly rate | $38.29 | $30.28 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 10,472 | 37,036 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A cardiac sonographer specializes in operating imaging technologies to help physicians assess and determine the cardiac conditions of patients. Aside from coordinating with physicians, a cardiac sonographer also interacts with patients, providing them assistance throughout the process, and discussing the extent of procedures. Typically, a cardiac sonographer's responsibilities revolve around coordinating with hospital staff to gather patient information, sharing test results to physicians promptly, and even managing the scheduling of patients, all in adherence to the hospital's policies and regulations.
A cardiovascular technician is responsible for monitoring and administering treatment plans for patients with cardiovascular illnesses. Cardiovascular technicians operate various equipment and machinery to ensure the accuracy of diagnosis and determine the medical procedures to take. They also assist the doctors in performing medical operations, observing the patients' condition, and explaining the test findings to the patients. A cardiovascular technician keeps a record of medical charts for reference, as well as providing progress updates to the doctors and the patients' families.
Cardiac sonographers and cardiovascular technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cardiac Sonographer | Cardiovascular Technician | |
| Average salary | $79,641 | $62,986 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $116,000 | Between $43,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Davis, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Washington Hospital Healthcare System | Heartland Home Health Inc. |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a cardiac sonographer and a cardiovascular technician in terms of educational background:
| Cardiac Sonographer | Cardiovascular Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between cardiac sonographers' and cardiovascular technicians' demographics:
| Cardiac Sonographer | Cardiovascular Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2% | Male, 35.5% Female, 64.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |