What You'll Do

  • Administer emergency cardiac care for life-threatening heart problems, such as cardiac arrest and heart attack.
  • Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, or disease prevention.
  • Answer questions that patients have about their health and well-being.
  • Calculate valve areas from blood flow velocity measurements.
  • Compare measurements of heart wall thickness and chamber sizes to standards to identify abnormalities, using the results of an echocardiogram.
  • Conduct electrocardiogram (EKG), phonocardiogram, echocardiogram, or other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity, using specialized electronic test equipment, recording devices, or laboratory instruments.
  • Conduct exercise electrocardiogram tests to monitor cardiovascular activity under stress.
  • Conduct research to develop or test medications, treatments, or procedures that prevent or control disease or injury.
  • Conduct tests of the pulmonary system, using a spirometer or other respiratory testing equipment.
  • Design and explain treatment plans, based on patient information such as medical history, reports, and examination results.

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.

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Technologies & Tools

Epic Systems MEDITECH software Watchman Monitoring

How to Become One

This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Cardiac Specialist Cardiologist Cardiology Non-Invasive Physician Cardiology Physician Electrophysiology Cardiologist General Cardiologist Heart Failure Cardiologist Interventional Cardiologist Interventional Cardiology Physician Invasive Cardiologist Medical Doctor (MD) Non-Invasive Cardiologist Noninvasive Cardiologist Pediatric Cardiologist Physician