Electrocardiography (EKG) Certificate

Program Goals Statement

The program goal is to prepare students for entry-level employment as professional and competent Electrocardiography (EKG) Technicians, and to meet the needs of the local health care community.

Program Information

EKG Technicians operate noninvasive equipment which print graphic tracings of electrical impulses transmitted by the heart. The technician is responsible for maintaining the equipment and supplies, preparing the patient for the test, and monitoring the patient during the procedure. The graphic tracing aids in the diagnosis of heart disease, monitors the effect of drug therapy, and analyzes changes in the condition of the patient's heart over a period of time.

In addition to performing routine diagnostic electrocardiograms, EKG technicians may specialize in continuous ambulatory (Holter) monitoring or cardiac stress testing. Holter monitoring records a patient's cardiac rhythm for a 24- to 48-hour period while patients' pursue their normal routines. Cardiac stress testing monitors and records a patient's cardiac rhythm during a period of prescribed exercise.

Additional duties may include scheduling of appointments, data entry into computerized machines, typing of physicians' interpretations, and maintaining patient files.

After Bristol

Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for a national EKG certification exam.