Telemetry technician vs echo technician

The differences between telemetry 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 a telemetry technician and an echo technician. Additionally, an echo technician has an average salary of $75,952, which is higher than the $35,758 average annual salary of a telemetry technician.

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

Telemetry technician vs echo technician overview

	Telemetry Technician	Echo Technician
Yearly salary	$35,758	$75,952
Hourly rate	$17.19	$36.52
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	63,712	14,522
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Associate Degree, 54%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a telemetry technician do?

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.

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.

Telemetry technician vs echo technician salary

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

	Telemetry Technician	Echo Technician
Average salary	$35,758	$75,952
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $44,000	Between $49,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Springfield, OR
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	University of Maryland Medical System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between telemetry technician and echo technician education

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

	Telemetry Technician	Echo Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Associate Degree, 54%
Most common major	Nursing	Medical Technician
Most common college	Emory University	Duke University

Telemetry technician vs echo technician demographics

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

	Telemetry Technician	Echo Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6%	Male, 32.4% Female, 67.6%
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%

Differences between telemetry technician and echo technician duties and responsibilities

Telemetry technician example responsibilities.

Observe patients being monitor while in the ICU and the Med/Surge unit and reporting any abnormal findings to the RN.
Monitor patients and administer EKG.
Utilize varied medical equipment including telemetry monitors, vital sign monitors and lifting equipment to care for patients.
Provide continuous observation of monitor ECG rhythms for patients on telemetry and report pertinent information to appropriate nursing personnel.
Pass instruments, sponges, and suture to surgical team.
Assist in code situations by providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

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.

Telemetry technician vs echo technician skills

Common telemetry technician skills

Patients, 26%
EKG, 15%
Patient Care, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Rhythm Interpretation, 4%
ICU, 4%

Common echo technician skills

Patients, 19%
BLS, 10%
Echocardiography, 10%
Echocardiogram, 9%
Patient Care, 8%
Cardiology, 6%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Telemetry Technician
Telemetry Technician vs Echo Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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