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What does a cardiologist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

A cardiologist is an expert at diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases. They are primarily in charge of conducting initial assessment and interview, conducting extensive examinations, studying the patient's medical history, and recommending the best care practices for patients. A cardiologist must also discuss the situation with patients, helping them understand the extent of their conditions and corresponding procedures, referring them to other services as needed. Furthermore, there are instances when a cardiologist must use imaging equipment for diagnosis, prescribe medication, and perform surgeries.

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Cardiologist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real cardiologist resumes:

  • Train and manage new interns/ volunteers assisting with the evidence-based hypertension management program.
  • Facilitate patient use of cardiac rehabilitation services.
  • Schedule patients for surgery, order preoperative and postoperative treatments and procedures.
  • Educate patients and provide them vitamin and nutritional supplements base on diagnosis.
  • Skil in analysis and diagnosis of ECG.
  • Perform exercise treadmill, stress echo exam.
  • Perform ECG on an every patient during the office visit.
  • Assist with ancillarytests which include stress tests, treadmill and nuclear.
  • Formulate treatment plans, type radiology reports, and PPE/FCE reports.
  • Prepare meals run errands, light housekeeping and escorting them to Dr.
  • Organize speakers bureau and initiate cardiology conference in partnership with med school AHEC.
  • Track all require lab, radiology and other results to ensure thorough patient care.
  • Monitor the patient during the stress test for any possible complications, including EKG changes.
  • Perform and interpret transthoracic and fetal echocardiograms in outpatient clinics throughout the Washington, DC area.
  • Finish the research project of the oncology, inflammation and immunology relate cell growth factor CSF-1 receptor function.

Cardiologist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 27% of Cardiologists are proficient in Cardiology, Patients, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Detail oriented, and Leadership skills.

We break down the percentage of Cardiologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Cardiology, 27%

    Served as Medical Director of the nuclear cardiology laboratory.

  • Patients, 24%

    Coordinated travel arrangements, maintained database and ensured the delivery of premium service to patients.

  • Patient Care, 9%

    Interacted with other departments regarding patient care.

  • Echocardiogram, 5%

    Fill out proper testing forms to be completed for blood work, Echocardiogram, Carotid Doppler and Stress test.

  • Cath Lab, 5%

    Attended Cath lab on regular basis as an assistant and principal operator.

  • Internal Medicine, 5%

    Provide front desk coverage and clerical support for 3 doctors (Dr. Rajiyah-Cardiologist and Dr. Ramdas and Dr. Chi-Internal Medicine).

Most cardiologists use their skills in "cardiology," "patients," and "patient care" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential cardiologist responsibilities here:

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a cardiologist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what cardiologists do because "physicians and surgeons need to be excellent communicators." Additionally, a cardiologist resume shows how cardiologists use communication skills: "maintain open lines of communication between patients, physician, and staff. "

Detail oriented. Many cardiologist duties rely on detail oriented. "patients must receive appropriate treatment and medications," so a cardiologist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways cardiologist responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "simplified complex concepts and provided detailed education to patients. "

Leadership skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of cardiologists is leadership skills. This skill is critical to many everyday cardiologist duties, as "physicians who work in their own practice must manage a staff of other professionals." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided leadership in case of emergency situations. "

Organizational skills. For certain cardiologist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of a cardiologist rely on this skill, as "good recordkeeping and other organizational skills are critical in both medical and business settings." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what cardiologists do: "practice management related: developed and implemented organizational policies, procedures, methods and standards for the medical practice. "

Physical stamina. A commonly-found skill in cardiologist job descriptions, "physical stamina" is essential to what cardiologists do. Cardiologist responsibilities rely on this skill because "physicians and surgeons should be comfortable lifting or turning disabled patients, or performing other physical tasks." You can also see how cardiologist duties rely on physical stamina in this resume example: "assist doctors during physical examination of patients. "

See the full list of cardiologist skills

The three companies that hire the most cardiologists are:

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Compare different cardiologists

Cardiologist vs. Resident physician

A Resident Physician participates in a program of graduate medical education and training in a specialized area of medicine. They work with other members of the healthcare team to provide direct medical care to patients.

The annual salary of resident physicians is $135,250 lower than the average salary of cardiologists.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between cardiologists and resident physicians are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like cardiology, patients, and internal medicine.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a cardiologist are more likely to require skills like "patient care," "echocardiogram," "cath lab," and "pet." On the other hand, a job as a resident physician requires skills like "family medicine," "ob," "medical education," and "psychiatry." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Resident physicians really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $71,876. Comparatively, cardiologists tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $207,112.The education levels that resident physicians earn slightly differ from cardiologists. In particular, resident physicians are 3.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a cardiologist. Additionally, they're 30.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Cardiologist vs. Resident doctor

A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also coordinate and maintain an active communication line with nurses, administrators, and technicians for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a doctor must educate patients about their health conditions, helping them understand their situation better.

Resident doctor positions earn lower pay than cardiologist roles. They earn a $138,389 lower salary than cardiologists per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Cardiologists and resident doctors both require similar skills like "patients," "patient care," and "internal medicine" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, cardiologist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cardiology," "echocardiogram," "cath lab," and "primary care." Meanwhile, a resident doctor has duties that require skills in areas such as "emergency room," "general surgery," "outpatient clinic," and "pediatrics." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Resident doctors earn similar levels of education than cardiologists in general. They're 4.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 30.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Cardiologist vs. Doctor

On average, doctors earn lower salaries than cardiologists, with a $91,266 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on cardiologists and doctors resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "patients," "patient care," and "echocardiogram.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a cardiologist is likely to be skilled in "cardiology," "cath lab," "epic," and "pet," while a typical doctor is skilled in "customer service," "emergency medicine," "surgery," and "dr."

Doctors make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $178,767. On the other hand, cardiologists are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $207,112.Most doctors achieve a similar degree level compared to cardiologists. For example, they're 2.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 13.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Cardiologist vs. Associate professor, physician

Associate professors, physician average a lower salary than the annual salary of cardiologists. The difference is about $92,620 per year.While both cardiologists and associate professors, physician complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like patients, internal medicine, and medicaid, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A cardiologist uses "cardiology," "patient care," "echocardiogram," and "cath lab." Associate professors, physician are more likely to have duties that require skills in "clinical program," "acls," "medical education," and "outpatient care. "The health care industry tends to pay the highest salaries for associate professors, physician, with average annual pay of $167,880. Comparatively, the highest cardiologist annual salary comes from the health care industry.The average resume of associate professors, physician showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to cardiologists. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 6.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 19.7%.

Types of cardiologist

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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