EKG Technician Salary
According to the EKG technician salary data surveys with the information provided by PayScale.com, the starting earnings in this profession are estimated from $20,310 per year with the opportunity to climb up to $48,871 per year. The hourly average wage for an EKG technician is $14.00/hr.
How much does an EKG Technician make?
For an EKG technician working in the United States, the median annual presented salary for the year 2017 is known to reach somewhere at around $30,512 per year. The incomes vary mainly according to various added factors that increase or decrease one individual’s earnings based on geographical location – the place where you found a job – the years of experience gathered in this career, as well as the type of employment.
This last factor is driven by the industry, the company size as well as the number of employees that are to be found in one facility. When it comes to the gender factor that also influences the salaries of these professionals, the vast majority of professionals working in this field are women rather than men. To these earnings you can always add the bonuses that usually make up to $610 each year, this leading in the end at a total payment that starts at $21,258 per year and reaches up to $42,788 per year.
As reminded above, the years of experience impact and affect the incomes, to all the median compensation as you advance in this working field you can add tips, bonuses as well as overtime. An entry-level EKG technician with up to 5 years of experience will receive an average annual income that tends to reach at $28,010 per year. At the same time, a more advanced professional having training and skills with an experience of 5 and up to 10 years gains an income that usually reaches as high as $33,010 per year.
At the level of Experienced, an EKG technician with 10 and up to 20 years of working experience will take home a salary that reaches somewhere at around $36,010 per year. At the same time, the veterans of this field with more than 20 years of activity and with plenty of knowledge and experience in the field gain somewhere at around $37,010 per year. The progression given form a level to another in this job is nonetheless slow but constant, meaning that the difference in the paid years are not that high. The national median payment in the United States for this particular group tends to reach only at $30,010 per year.
There are also plenty of other related or similar jobs that have various incomes according to the responsibility assumed and the nature of the job itself. For instance, an EKG monitor technician reports a median annual income of $32,691 per year. In this position you can also obtain a high income level if you have skills in ICU or else known as the Intensive Care Unit. The bonuses that are granted are usually comprised between $100.68 and with the opportunity to climb up to $1,193 every year.
An emergency department technician can for sure expect at a median annual income of around $31,442 per year, with added bonuses that are only resumed at $60.02 yearly, while a certified phlebotomy technician gains a median yearly income of only $29,853 per year with bonuses that reach up to $487.97 each year.
According to another source of salary data surveys – from Salary.com – the presented median annual income attributed to an EKG technician tends to reach out at around $35,541 per year, with an established range that is comprised between $31,525 per year and up to $41,118 per year. The lowest 10% of the individual category that is working in this field can expect to earn only around $27,869 per year. At the same time, the highest received earnings tend to reach at $46,197 per year or even higher. These incomes are also influenced and driven by the added bonuses. For instance, an EKG technician with a granted median annual income plus bonuses added to his or her paycheck will receive around $35,586 per year. Similarly, the lowest 10% of individuals working on these positions will benefit of an income with bonuses added that reaches somewhere at around $28,036 per year.
The highest incomes that are received in this profession with added bonuses tend to reach somewhere at around $46,529 per year or even higher. The base median average reported income of $35,540 per year is also influenced not only by bonuses, but by various other benefits that also come and are added to this amount of earnings.
For instance, in this particular field, the social security reaches somewhere at around $2,723 every year, the disability is paid around $321 on a yearly basis, while the healthcare reaches at around $6,593 annually. Other benefits attributed to the payment involve 401K that can climb up to $1,282 each year, or Time Off that is usually around $4,381 yearly. We should also consider the granted Pension that reaches somewhere at around $2,243 on a yearly basis. With all these benefits added, the total compensation of someone working as an EKG technician is estimated at $53,122 per year.
When it comes to similar or related job titles, the granted salaries vary a lot. For instance, an anesthesia technician can expect to earn an annual base salary that reaches at $38,929 per year. At the same time, a Biomedical Engineer Technician gains somewhere around $60,862 per year. On the other hand, a bindery technician gains an annual base income that reaches only at around $31,958 per year, while an animal technician can expect to take home a yearly base salary of around $35,082 per year.
The geographical location factor is also influenced by several other factors such as the economic market flux, as well as the living expenses and the costs of living found in a particular area. For instance, in the state of New York, the incomes oscillate from a region to another as well. In New York, NY the average annual income reaches at around $41,143 per year. At the same time, in Niagara Falls, NY the yearly average income reaches at around $33,792 per year.
In the state of California, the earnings are also very different from a city to another, from an area to another. In Anaheim, CA the average annual salary is around $39,486 per year. At the same time, in San Francisco, CA the incomes reach at around $43,919 per year. On the other hand in Santa Rosa, CA the average annual income is estimated to reach only at around $33,546 per year.
The employment growth up to 2024 for cardiovascular technicians as well as for technologists, including the EKG technicians according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is projected at a rate of 22% or even a higher forecasted increase. The main driving factor for this rate of increase is the aging population that is requiring more and more the services of an EKG technician. With people are aging, the medical conditions are becoming more severe and diversified, the heart conditions or diseases as well as other cardiovascular issues become more intense and accentuated, thus this career field brings the necessary stability for anyone who feels like it’s for them. Lastly, you are going to help people around you on a daily basis.
EKG Technician Salary in 2017
An EKG technician income in the United States, for the year 2017 is influenced by several factors that impact the economic flux within this profession. The main factors that are to be included here are the geographic location, the training and the qualifications that are achieved through an accredited program, as well as the lab experience and the certification.
The average yearly income for an EKG technician in the US is estimated to be at around $40,712 per year. You can also take a look at the highest income for the 10 % working in this field that usually gets around $79,293 per year or even more. On the other side, the lowest 10% of this profession will take home an income that gets around $27,434 per year or even less while the median of these professionals can expect an yearly income that is estimated at around $51,023 per year.
Among the best paying states for those working as EKG technicians you can find Alaska, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey and also Washington. Of course that even in these states the income will be different.
An EKG technician salary is also influenced based on the certification that was obtained. In the US those that are already certified can expect to gain various salary benefits such as paid vacations, paid sick level, 401k, life or disability insurance and other.
An EKG technician salary for the year 2017 will depend also based on the type of facility in which one individual is working and the area. When it comes to the field, those EKG technicians that are hired in the academic field can expect to an annual income that is around $50,490 per year while those working in a diagnostic laboratory or hospital can expect to take home an annual income estimated at around $53,640 per year.
For instance, those that are in the urban area tend to earn more than those that are in the rural area. The job opportunities are higher in a metropolitan area than in a small area. The EKG technicians are a vital link in the healthcare system, due to the nature of their job.
EKG Technician salary in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom
An EKG tech salary can be seen in other countries that are also influenced according to various factors. For example, in Canada (more exactly in Ontario) an average salary for an EKG technician reaches at CA $26,010. The highest percent in the hourly wages are earned in Calgary and Edmonton, reaching at $31.64, while the lowest point on the hourly wage reaches in Quebec at $14 per hour. An annual salary in Canada is comprised of $54,100 and it can go up to $64,100.
In Australia for instance, the average salary for an EKG technician is estimated between AU$29,050 and AU$33,050 per year. This salary also varies according to the experience that a healthcare professional has earned across the years and the grade level. According to the last factor, the salary estimation can be comprised between AU$ 876.52 and AU$ 1,835.4 per week on wage.
In the United Kingdom a typical salary for an EKG technician will be comprised between £ 10,000.00 and £ 44,000.00, this depending on the institutions in which one is working, and the areas where one professional can find work. The salary for an EKG technician in the UK will vary according to influential factors and the level of experience that one has gained in this profession.
EKG Technician Career
An EKG technician or an electrocardiograph technician is that health professional who is dealing with the special equipment that allows him to record the heart condition of a patient. Based on the results, the physicians will put a diagnostic to the patient and a treatment schedule can be performed. The results of the EKG will also help to treat various diseases that are linked with the heart conditions, especially linked with the cardiac and peripheral vascular systems.
Job description of an EKG Technician
The EKG technician works along with doctors and other healthcare specialists in private or public healthcare facilities, where their main specialization is on the EKG or the electrocardiogram. Patients’ hearts are monitored by these special devices that involve attaching electrodes on the patient’s arms, legs and his chest. These electrodes will give a clear test result.
Their job is to monitor all the activities that involve a normal EKG and to make sure that the equipment is fully operating. The environment of the EKG tech is clean and secure all the time. Additionally, this healthcare professional will make sure to keep clear evidence on the medical history of each patient, and to ask questions when needed and to make sure that recorded data has a good quality.
But this is not all an EKG technician is required to have. Other job skills also intervene when you perform this kind of duty. For example, it is important to follow exactly all the instructions as they are given, these involving a great focus and to pay attention to every detail, not to mention that the communicational skill is of essence in this job career. This is important, since an EKG technician works with people who sometimes are scared and a friendly advice will always be welcome.
Among other job duties, an EKG technician is required to spend many hours on their feet and sometimes even to lift heavy objects, so you need to be able to do so in order to work as one. Also, they need to have certain knowledge and the capacity to understand and to use any new or complex equipment.
How to become an EKG Technician?
The training for an EKG technician starts since high school, where, in order to apply for the next level, you need to have some knowledge about the branches of study required in this profession. Since the high school will define your later enrollment in other vocational colleges, you’ll need to earn a high school diploma.
The path for an EKG tech is really great, especially if you start with your right foot. Your classes concerning the EKG technician can be held in a vocational health college or school, strictly based on this kind of specialization, where you can learn about subjects such as biology, algebra, English (which is mandatory), health, computer science and many others, which will help you to develop abilities, and skills in the future job.
When you finish the years of study or the months depending on which kind of program you settle to enroll for, then you can apply through the same institution for a certification, which will allow you to become a certified EKG technician, usually given by NCCA or the National Certification Career Association.
A very helpful guideline that will give you the information you need for this job is if you find out which the main duties of an EKG technician are, by going into a facility or area where one of them could answer all your questions related to this field. Or, for instance, you can search information about job description of this healthcare professional on the online web-pages or by lending some useful library books.
In your search among other facts, you’ll find out that an EKG tech is able not only to deal with the job of reading and interpreting the EKG test results, but he will also deal with understanding, keeping clean and using the adequate equipment. However, in his main chart, he will have to be very patient and calm to provide his patients with the necessary resources for the future procedures.
The next step to follow in your way to achieve a better career opportunity is to complete those studies in order to obtain an associate’s degree in the field of cardiovascular technology, which you can find at community colleges.
The best thing is to assure that those institutions have accredited courses that will lead you to the next step on your education. For example, it is wise to know that this accreditation in the courses that you are going to follow is given by the CAAHP or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Professionals.
The classes in which you have enrolled should mainly consist of courses that involve theoretical and practical parts, such as instructions in the first aid process in the clinical field and in laboratory, not to mention the classroom courses such as microbiology, pharmacology, anatomy, electrocardiography principles and many others.
To increase your chances in becoming a well-trained future EKG technician, you should also choose a course that will guarantee you the experience of learning from one of these trained and experienced healthcare professionals who have already gained this EKG tech certification.
Like in any career opportunity, another decisive factor is the job salary that is paid also according to the level of your studies or your experience that you gained. So, continue on this path by enhancing your chances for a good salary. Earn a bachelor’s of science degree in the field of cardiopulmonary science. A key element is to find out if you have the opportunity to transfer your earned credits from the associate’s degree.
With this option available, you won’t have to repeat the courses that you already studied, so it would be a lot easier for you. And the good news is that many of the educational institutions will help you discover which credits you can use for your new study course.
Since you enrolled in another level of training, you’ll learn courses that involve subjects like patient assessment, advanced pulmonary pathophysiology and other courses. After you’ve fulfilled all these steps, now you could enroll in gaining voluntary credentials that will allow you to be considered, by any employer, one of those good potential candidates. You can now be labeled that you have earned a place in the area of this profession specialization, due to your commitment.
But you have to complete one of the accredited training programs and sustain examination. The voluntary credentials can be granted by The American Registry of Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer or in other words ARDMS, or can be granted by the Cardiovascular Credentialing International or CCI.
Work Environment and Schedule
An EKG technician can work in various healthcare settings from the hospital area and up to the clinical areas, medical laboratories and up to the doctor’s office. Their work environment usually consists of a space that has a lot of light, where the temperature has already been adjusted to the working conditions and where there is a little noise.
EKG technicians do not work in an environment filled with emergencies, their environment is quite relaxing. Their schedule is formed around a number of forty hours per week and five days of work, where the weekends could also be included, whenever necessary.
Other EKG techs who work in the field of catheterization laboratories are required to work a longer period of time, including the evenings, not to mention that they might be called on duty during the night and on the weekends. They spend many hours of work on their feet and next to patients, who have serious health conditions, so it can be a very stressful work many times.
Pros and cons of being an EKG Technician
Being an EKG technician many times assumes to be able to work with all the EKG equipment and technology that a facility possesses. The job of these professionals gives you the full opportunity to measure the heart rate of a patient and find all the irregularities that are or that could be present. The duties also involve monitoring the cardiac rhythm. You will have the possibility to work beside other specialists by helping them to establish what is wrong and provide the patient as well with some good answers about his or her health. In order to establish a good medicine plan, you have to discover the irregularity in the blood vessels and the heart.
The benefit of being an EKG technician is the fact that you can work anywhere in the country, in facilities such as hospitals, clinics, labs and other public or private settings. Due to the number of demanding there is a strong growth in the number of jobs, and the opportunities are present.
However, this career can have a rough start that reflects especially in the payment of a starting EKG technician. Let’s not forget that due to the duties and tasks of this job, this career path, and the daily routine can be pretty stressful.
Your work can be pretty interesting due to the constant interaction with other health care professionals such as physicians, and even due to various cases that involves different types of patients. The con that is related to this job also involves heavy lifting, and a lot of time spent on your feet. You’ll have to work on weekends and even evenings.
EKG Technician Job Growth
The EKG technicians are in high demand this leading to an excellent job growth with a great rate of employment that is to be found. The career opportunities in this field according to some of the surveys are estimated to grow for the following 10 years or so with 28%. This recording a fast average job growth than in other occupations.
The number of EKG technicians will continue to grow due to the major factor that is to be found in this field – the baby boomer population age. The employment opportunities for these professionals are expected to grow more in the private diagnostic laboratories or doctor’s offices even though medical facilities such as hospitals will probably hire most of these professionals.
The job opportunities that are offer provide a confident approach to the employment rate. The employment outlook is also based on the number of demanding for these professionals, but it is less probably to be a shortage in this field.
Conclusion on EKG Technician salary
The health system will always need medical professionals and in the area of EKG technician, people are in demand due to medical issues that are growing. The median average salary for an EKG technician reaches at about $47,050 per year. The institutions that work as non-profit pay an EKG technician professional on a good scale, where the average level of his salary is comprised between $28,870 and $45,430 per year. The future outlook is one of great career opportunity, since a part of the number of population is consisted of patients that require aid in this direction.
