What Is an Electrophysiology Technician and How to Become One
Table of Contents
What Does an Electrophysiology Technician Do?
An electrophysiology technician provides specialized assistance to a cardiologist during cardiac procedures such as ablation, angiography, and angioplasty. As an EP tech, your job duties include placing a cardiac EP catheter in a patient, reading electrocardiograms, and interpreting the recordings to help diagnose heart problems. Your responsibilities include maintaining the equipment in the cath lab and talking to patients about the procedure to answer any questions they may have. Using the electrocardiogram equipment, your diagnostic capabilities cover heart conditions such as arrhythmia and myocardial infarction, or heart attack.
How Do I Become an Electrophysiology Technician?
You need formal training to earn the qualifications for becoming an electrophysiology technician. An associate degree in medical assisting or a related field, or other allied health training, is necessary before you can begin a training program for electrophysiology. You must have strong math and science skills along with knowledge of anatomy and physiology. Some programs require previous clinical work experience or passing scores on entrance exams. In addition to your training, you can obtain professional certification through Cardiovascular Credentialing International if you pass the Registered Cardiovascular Electrophysiology Specialist (RCES) exam.
