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What does a cardiovascular technician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a cardiovascular technician do

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.

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Cardiovascular technician responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real cardiovascular technician resumes:

  • Assist with placement and manage intra-aortic balloon pumps.
  • Certify in CPR and ACLS.
  • Scrub and monitor implant and EP Carto and basic ablation procedures.
  • Collect data with a GPS handheld receiver and map it in the office using GIS.
  • Provide continuous ECG and blood pressure monitoring for secondary medical cardiac beds as a cardiopulmonary monitor technician.
  • Perform hook-up and scanning of holter monitors.
  • Perform EKG's throughout the hospital and outpatient.
  • Perform 12 lead EKG rhythm strips on adults, children and infants.
  • Utilize ArcGIS and Trimble/Garmin GPS devices to provide surveying and mapping data.
  • Evaluate all pacemakers, ICD's, and loop recorders with an appropriate programmers.
  • Perform electrocardiogram tests, stress tests, monitor the heart performance, and generate EKG reports.
  • Assist physicians during procedures such EP studies, pacemaker/ICD/BI-V device insertion to ensure optimum patient outcomes.
  • Copy each study to PACS system for cardiologist interpretation and complete patient notes/study findings in RIS.
  • Assist physicians scrubbing LHC, RHC diagnoses and PCI procedures in both femoral and radial access.
  • Perform Echocardiograms, PACS, and relate duties in ER, PCU, ICU and out-patient settings.

Cardiovascular technician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 19% of Cardiovascular Technicians are proficient in Patients, BLS, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Hand-eye coordination, and Interpersonal skills.

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

  • Patients, 19%

    Performed skilled and specialized technical procedures, requiring the operation of complex cardiovascular equipment on patients.

  • BLS, 12%

    Related coursework and certificates: BLS Certified-Basic Life Support, ACLS Certified- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support

  • Patient Care, 10%

    Provided information and answered patient questions to ensure specific patient care procedures and processes.

  • Acls, 8%

    Obtained ACLS & PALS Certification.

  • Cardiovascular Technologist, 5%

    Worked as a traveling Cardiovascular Technologist fulfilling 13-week contracts where needed.

  • Cardiology, 4%

    Train new Staff technicians, Medical Residents and Cardiology Fellows in Laboratory protocols.

"patients," "bls," and "patient care" are among the most common skills that cardiovascular technicians use at work. You can find even more cardiovascular technician responsibilities below, including:

Detail oriented. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a cardiovascular technician to have is detail oriented. Their role and responsibilities require that "diagnostic medical sonographers and cardiovascular technologists and technicians must follow precise instructions to obtain the images needed to diagnose and treat patients." Cardiovascular technicians often use detail oriented in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "trained/oriented new nurses to the icu. "

Hand-eye coordination. Many cardiovascular technician duties rely on hand-eye coordination. "to get quality images, diagnostic medical sonographers and cardiovascular technologists and technicians must accurately move equipment on the patient’s body in response to what they see on the screen.," so a cardiovascular technician will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways cardiovascular technician responsibilities rely on hand-eye coordination: "scheduled patients for medical treatment, patient education, and the coordination of laboratory testing for the coumadin clinic. "

Physical stamina. cardiovascular technician responsibilities often require "physical stamina." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "diagnostic medical sonographers and cardiovascular technologists and technicians stand for long periods and must be able to lift and move patients who need assistance." This resume example shows what cardiovascular technicians do with physical stamina on a typical day: "observe and monitor patient during physical and chemical stress tests through the use of 12 lead ecg monitoring. "

Technical skills. Another crucial skill for a cardiovascular technician to carry out their responsibilities is "technical skills." A big part of what cardiovascular technicians relies on this skill, since "diagnostic medical sonographers and cardiovascular technologists and technicians must understand how to operate complex machinery and computerized instruments." How this skill relates to cardiovascular technician duties can be seen in an example from a cardiovascular technician resume snippet: "acknowledged cardiac events that were transmitted through mobile telemetry by providing technical analysis of the ecg's data. "

All cardiovascular technician skills

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Cardiovascular Technician Resume
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Cardiovascular Technician Resume
Cardiovascular Technician Resume
Cardiovascular Technician Resume
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Cardiovascular Technician Resume
Cardiovascular Technician Resume

Compare different cardiovascular technicians

Cardiovascular technician vs. Nuclear medicine technologist

The job of a nuclear medicine technologist is to examine how the body functions to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and medical conditions. These professionals perform various tasks that include preparing and administering radiopharmaceuticals and other medications to patients, monitoring a patient's physical condition during the procedure, and providing patient information, images, and data analysis for diagnosis and treatment. They are expected to answer patients' questions and explain the procedure to them. Nuclear medical technologists are also required to follow radiation safety procedures.

We looked at the average cardiovascular technician salary and compared it with the wages of a nuclear medicine technologist. Generally speaking, nuclear medicine technologists are paid $9,992 higher than cardiovascular technicians per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both cardiovascular technician and nuclear medicine technologist positions are skilled in patients, catheter, and medical history.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, cardiovascular technician responsibilities require skills like "bls," "patient care," "acls," and "cardiovascular technologist." Meanwhile a typical nuclear medicine technologist has skills in areas such as "radiopharmaceuticals," "radiology," "nuclear medicine procedures," and "pacs." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

On average, nuclear medicine technologists reach similar levels of education than cardiovascular technicians. Nuclear medicine technologists are 1.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Cardiovascular technician vs. Anesthesia technician

Anesthesia technicians are healthcare professionals who oversee activities related to anesthetics. They administer anesthesia to patients and assist doctors in related activities. They also monitor the patient after the anesthesia is administered to ensure that no harmful side effects occurred. Anesthesia technicians are expected to know how to test for anesthetic allergies and to spot signs of such allergies. They should be familiar with the different techniques, solutions, and equipment used for anesthetic procedures. Aside from those, anesthesia technicians are also expected to manage the inventory of anesthetic solutions and to trigger purchase requests for new stocks.

A career as a anesthesia technician brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a cardiovascular technician. In fact, anesthesia technicians salary is $23,346 lower than the salary of cardiovascular technicians per year.A few skills overlap for cardiovascular technicians and anesthesia technicians. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "patients," "bls," and "patient care. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, cardiovascular technician responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "acls," "cardiovascular technologist," "cardiology," and "cardiac cath lab." Meanwhile, an anesthesia technician has duties that require skills in areas such as "anesthesia tech," "surgery," "intubation," and "anesthesia machines." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, anesthesia technicians earn a lower salary than cardiovascular technicians. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, anesthesia technicians earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $42,622. Whereas cardiovascular technicians have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $57,887.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Anesthesia technicians tend to reach similar levels of education than cardiovascular technicians. In fact, they're 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Cardiovascular technician vs. Telemetry technician

A telemetry technician is responsible for operating the telemetry machine to identify patients' heart rates and rhythms. Telemetry technicians monitor the patients' heart condition by attaching medical equipment to the patients' chest and record findings for the doctor's reference. They also assist with related medical operations and treatment procedures and discuss the processes with the patient. A telemetry technician must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in sorting clients' records and medical treatment plans.

On average scale, telemetry technicians bring in lower salaries than cardiovascular technicians. In fact, they earn a $27,228 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on cardiovascular technicians and telemetry technicians resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "patients," "patient care," and "cpr.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, cardiovascular technicians are more likely to have skills like "bls," "acls," "cardiovascular technologist," and "cardiology." But a telemetry technician is more likely to have skills like "ekg," "customer service," "rhythm interpretation," and "medical terminology."

Telemetry technicians make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $34,824. On the other hand, cardiovascular technicians are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $57,887.When it comes to education, telemetry technicians tend to earn similar degree levels compared to cardiovascular technicians. In fact, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Cardiovascular technician vs. Pulmonary function technician

Pulmonary Function Technologists generally pay around $77K per year and require skills in respiratory care, spirometry, RRT, and understanding test results. In addition to a high school diploma, most employers will require anyone who chooses this career to have an associate degree in respiratory therapy or NBRC certification. This will be needed in a career that calls for setting up and running respective patients' respiratory tests for identifying lung diseases or disorders and conducting tests and collaborating with medical staff for possible diagnoses of lung disease.

Pulmonary function technicians typically earn lower pay than cardiovascular technicians. On average, pulmonary function technicians earn a $12,528 lower salary per year.While both cardiovascular technicians and pulmonary function technicians complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like patients, patient care, and acls, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "bls," "cardiovascular technologist," "cardiology," and "cardiac cath lab" are skills that commonly show up on cardiovascular technician resumes. On the other hand, pulmonary function technicians use skills like respiratory care, spirometry, respiratory therapy, and rrt on their resumes.In general, pulmonary function technicians hold similar degree levels compared to cardiovascular technicians. Pulmonary function technicians are 1.1% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of cardiovascular technician

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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