EKG Technician Responsibilities

EKG or electrocardiography is a display of the heart's electrical activities. This is done using electrodes that are connected to the surface of the skin. A device outside the body records the electrical activities over a given period of time. The recording brought forth by this procedure is known as electrocardiography. The whole process is very safe and is conducted by the EKG technician, who also examines and edits the report obtained. He conducts this test on the chest and thorax of the patient in order to decide the health of the heart.

Key Responsibilities

EKG is used to evaluate the regularity and rate of the heart beats, the size and place of the chambers, and any changes or damages to the heart. The EKG technician frees the doctor from the hassles of connecting the electrodes of the EKG device to the patient and running them. It is very important to know the key EKG technician responsibilities:

  1. It is his duty to ensure that the patient is comfortable during the entire process of recording. He should be friendly, gentle, and soft spoken
  2. The technician sets up the suitable environment and the other devices in the room for the recording
  3. He sees to it that all the test activities are carried out well and the devices are functioning properly
  4. He reads and understands the medical history of the patient in order to help the patient and the doctor
  5. He explains the entire ECG or EKG procedure to the patient
  6. He calls the doctor immediately on finding out any abnormality or defect in the printout or in case of an emergency
  7. He works under the guidance of the doctor or cardiologist
  8. He examines and edits the data that is transmitted from the electrodes to the machine
  9. He makes adjustments, if needed, during the test
  10. He takes the print out from the EKG machine and hands it over to the doctor or the cardiologist. He then, cleans and disinfects the room, where the patient's EKG was taken
  11. He takes a stress test of the patient, which is a more in-depth analysis of the way the heart functions. He notes down the heart rate, blood pressure, and EKG readings before advising his patient to walk on a treadmill.Then the patient walks on the same and the EKG technician increases it's speed, as a result of which the patient starts moving faster and his readings are constantly examined by the technician to see how his heart functions when the patient is exercising
  12. He makes the patient undergo a stress test also, which is called the Holter test. In this test, he connects the electrodes of a device to different locations of the patient's chest and he is advised to go home and then return after 24 hours. He advises the patient to resume daily activities while at home. The next day, the patient hands over the device to him. The technician passes on the recorded data from the device to the cardiologist
  13. He takes the print outs and hangs them on the wall next to the patient, so that the doctor can use or check them for ready reference any time while treating or advising his patients
  14. It is his duty to check, utilize, and take care of the EKG and other devices he works with. He repairs them if they are out of order. He also sterilizes the devices to prevent infections

Required Qualifications and Skills

  1. He should have a high school degree or diploma
  2. He must have been trained for a minimum period of six months under a recognized cardiac hospital or must have completed a recognized cardio program or course
  3. He must have patience, will power, stand or work for long periods of time, be able to communicate well with everyone, and transport equipments from one hospital to another
  4. Last, but not the least, he should be kind and empathetic towards the patients

Work Hours

An EKG technician works for 8 hours daily, 5 days a week. This constitutes 40 hours of work in a week. He passes most of his time, either waiting, walking, or standing in a hospital or doctor's chamber.

Salary of an EKG Technician

The thing on which the EKG technician salary really depends is experience. More the experience, more the salary. But the average EKG technician salary is the same everywhere. It ranges from USD 11 TO USD 15 per hour of service.

Thus, the EKG technician responsibilities include working for the benefit and welfare of patients suffering from or suspected of cardiac ailments. He helps the doctor diagnose the particular cardiac ailment the patient suffers from.

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