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Ekg technician vs echo technician

The differences between ekg technicians and echo 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 ekg technician and an echo technician. Additionally, an echo technician has an average salary of $75,952, which is higher than the $35,160 average annual salary of an ekg technician.

The top three skills for an ekg technician include patients, BLS and patient care. The most important skills for an echo technician are patients, BLS, and echocardiography.

Ekg technician vs echo technician overview

EKG TechnicianEcho Technician
Yearly salary$35,160$75,952
Hourly rate$16.90$36.52
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs52,67914,522
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 27%Associate Degree, 54%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

What does an ekg technician do?

An EKG technician is responsible for conducting laboratory tests using advanced equipment and machines to diagnose and identify patients' conditions with cardiovascular problems. EKG technicians must have excellent knowledge of the process to discuss the procedures and respond to the patients' inquiries and concerns accurately. They help the doctors in diagnosing patients and developing treatment plans upon the interpretation of the results. An EKG technician inspects the stability and efficiency of the equipment regularly to prevent delays and inconsistencies with the results.

What does an echo technician do?

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.

Ekg technician vs echo technician salary

Ekg technicians and echo technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

EKG TechnicianEcho Technician
Average salary$35,160$75,952
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $43,000Between $49,000 And $117,000
Highest paying CitySpringfield, ORSpringfield, OR
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaCalifornia
Best paying companyUC MercedUniversity of Maryland Medical System
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between ekg technician and echo technician education

There are a few differences between an ekg technician and an echo technician in terms of educational background:

EKG TechnicianEcho Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 27%Associate Degree, 54%
Most common majorMedical Assisting ServicesMedical Technician
Most common collegeEmory UniversityDuke University

Ekg technician vs echo technician demographics

Here are the differences between ekg technicians' and echo technicians' demographics:

EKG TechnicianEcho Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 23.5% Female, 76.5%Male, 32.4% Female, 67.6%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage8%8%

Differences between ekg technician and echo technician duties and responsibilities

Ekg technician example responsibilities.

  • Assist with placement and manage intra-aortic balloon pumps.
  • Monitor patients' blood pressure and heart rate using electrocardiogram equipment during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
  • Assist physicians during codes by performing the ECG's and assisting with CPR.
  • Perform EKG and EEG examinations of patients to obtain graphic indications of heart activity
  • Conduct electrocardiogram and other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity using specialize electronic test equipment and recording devices.
  • Obtain ECG records of events; assist emergency situations by initiating and/or assisting in emergency procedures prescribe by hospital policies.
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Echo technician example responsibilities.

  • Assist with placement and manage intra-aortic balloon pumps.
  • Perform cardiac defibrillation, CPR, and initiate invasive procedures on patients in cardiac arrest.
  • Utilize 2D , 3D, m-mode, and color Doppler.
  • Perform EKG's and treadmill stress testing.
  • Perform stress echo's, dobutamine stress echo's and bubble studies.
  • Assist physician with echo stress tests as well as treadmill only studies.
  • Show more

Ekg technician vs echo technician skills

Common ekg technician skills
  • Patients, 24%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Patient Care, 7%
  • Electrocardiogram, 5%
  • CPR, 4%
  • ECG, 3%
Common echo technician skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • BLS, 10%
  • Echocardiography, 10%
  • Echocardiogram, 9%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • Cardiology, 6%

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