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The differences between echo technicians and monitor technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an echo technician and a monitor technician. Additionally, an echo technician has an average salary of $75,952, which is higher than the $35,460 average annual salary of a monitor technician.
The top three skills for an echo technician include patients, BLS and echocardiography. The most important skills for a monitor technician are patients, EKG, and BLS.
| Echo Technician | Monitor Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $75,952 | $35,460 |
| Hourly rate | $36.52 | $17.05 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 14,522 | 56,963 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An echo technician is responsible for operating specialized equipment to develop ultrasound images of patients' hearts, diagnosing possible illnesses, and monitoring their conditions. Echo technicians carefully explain the process to the patients, assist the physicians in data interpretation, and ensuring that the image document was stored and developed properly for reference. They also inspect the machine and equipment's efficiency for operations and immediately call for repairs for any defects and malfunctions that may cause inaccuracies in the results.
A monitor technician works in hospitals and other health care centers that provide treatment relating to heart health. They are also known as cardiac monitor technicians, who assist physicians and nurses with diagnosing and interpreting conditions related to the heart through several methods of monitoring and testing. Most of their work includes using machines and other medical technology in tracking patients' heart performance and check for any possible abnormalities. They monitor irregular heartbeats, arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest. They also use this technology to perform various tests on the heart but typically do not provide treatment.
Echo technicians and monitor technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Echo Technician | Monitor Technician | |
| Average salary | $75,952 | $35,460 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $117,000 | Between $28,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Springfield, OR | Medford, OR |
| Highest paying state | California | Utah |
| Best paying company | University of Maryland Medical System | MLK Community Healthcare |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an echo technician and a monitor technician in terms of educational background:
| Echo Technician | Monitor Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between echo technicians' and monitor technicians' demographics:
| Echo Technician | Monitor Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.4% Female, 67.6% | Male, 34.7% Female, 65.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 8% | 8% |