Who are EKG Technicians?
EKG technician is an allied healthcare career that has gained a lot of attention in the last decade. This attention has led to more and more prospective candidates looking into EKG as a career opportunity as an EKG Technician. Moreover, the EKG technician career also allows for career advancement into many other allied healthcare careers such as a cardiac monitor technician, cardiac telemetry technician, medical assistant, patient care technician, and more.
Working as an EKG Technician
Work as an Electrocardiogram Technician or EKG tech for short can be an incredibly rewarding career. Individuals who work in healthcare and as an EKG tech are people who are driven and have a passion to help those in need. EKG technicians must have excellent communication skills as they work alongside physicians and nurses to administer EKGs and aid in the diagnosis of patients. If you have the drive to help people and wish to be a part of a healthcare team that saves lives, a career as a Certified EKG technician could be right for you.
What is an Electrocardiogram?
An electrocardiogram, in short, is a display of the electrical activity of the heart. EKG techs are also known as Electrocardiogram Technicians. They are trained healthcare professionals that can administer EKGs and aid interpretation of the graphs they yield. However, they are not supposed to diagnose the problem, that is not within the scope of practice of an EKG Technician. These healthcare employees are essential in the initial assessment of patients with suspected cardiac issues.
What makes Electrocardiograms so important?
Electrocardiograms give a graphical representation (in short, a graph) of the electrical activity of the heart from various angles. The heart is one of the most important organs within the body. It is important for healthcare professionals to have a clear understanding of the current status of a patient’s heart activities. EKG graphs allow healthcare professionals to get a comprehensive look at a patient’s health through their heart's function. EKG readings can alert health care staff if a patient is experiencing cardiac arrest, atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation, and many heart-related conditions that would require an immediate emergency response.
The Electrocardiograms
Electrocardiograms in part with cardiac stress tests can tell healthcare professionals if a patient has a heart healthy enough for certain medications and whether their heart can sustain strenuous activities such as sports and exercises. With this, EKG technicians can save lives by finding the limitations of patient’s hearts by application of electrodes onto the patient’s chest and getting a graphical representation of the cardiac activity.
EKG Technician Job Descriptions
These job descriptions have been obtained from employers posting job opportunities for EKG Technician:
EKG technicians monitor the readings, make sure the machine is attached properly and in working order, and records the results of the EKG tests.
EKG technician assists doctors in performing cardiovascular exams on patients, overseeing, administering, analyzing, and recording tests that require special EKG equipment.
Oversees the use of EKG equipment.
Explains the function and process of EKG exams to patients prior to the test.
Ensures that all patients are calm and relaxed during the process.
Attaches EKG electrodes to patients in order to monitor heart activity and removes them after tests are completed.
Adjusts EKG machines to individual patients.
Administers stress tests, which monitor patient heart activity as they run on a treadmill.
Administers Holter tests, which monitor patient heart activity for 24 hours.
Logs and reviews test data.
Performs EKG’s on patients as ordered by a physician. Check patient identification.
Provides excellent customer service in accordance with the mission of the hospital and the hospital’s Standards of Performance.
Reference: Jobs Descriptions are obtained from hospitals such as; John T. Mather Memorial Hospital, East Orange General Hospital, St. Barnabas Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and JFK Medical
So, Should YOU become an EKG Technician
By now you may be familiar with what the job of an EKG Technician is and on how crucial they are as a member of the healthcare team. If you like to work in a field that does not involve a lot of stress and simply involves communication and special skills, this may be the right fit. If you would like to learn more about the career as an EKG Technician, we would recommend that you contact the admissions counselor at Americation further your knowledge and information on how you can get started into a career as an EKG Technician. On a final note, you can also add phlebotomy as your skill along with the EKG if you enroll into an EKG & Phlebotomy Program (combination program).
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