EKG Technician

EKG technicians are trained to perform electrocardiograms or EKGs on patients. An EKG is a test that monitors the heart’s activity and detects certain heart conditions. The technician will apply leads to a patient’s body and then perform the non-invasive test. EKG technicians can also perform stress tests where a patient walks on a treadmill and the heart’s activity is recorded.

EKG technicians are generally employed in hospitals, but others find employment in physicians’ offices and facilities that perform diagnostic testing alongside doctors, nurses, and other diagnostic technicians. The majority of EKG technicians work full time in the occupation. Others choose this certification to go alongside their current medical certification or degree for a more diverse resume.

As an NHA Certified EKG Technician (CET), you will have the credentials to also perform Holter monitoring and stress testing, opening up more options and providing you a competitive advantage in your chosen career field. According to the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) as a CET, you may perform the following tasks:

• Set up and administer EKGs, stress tests
• Prepare patients for Holter, or ambulatory monitoring
• Edit and deliver final test results to physicians for analysis
• Schedule appointments
• Transcribe physicians’ interpretations

For more information regarding NHA certification (including study materials), click here. While this course can be taken as a stand-alone certification course, many of our students who complete this course continue their studies and become a CCMA.