17 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
You usually split time between clinics, procedures, and rounds. Morning clinic sees follow-up and new patients for history, physical exam, ECG (electrocardiogram) review, and medication changes.
Afternoons often include tests like echocardiogram, stress tests, Holter monitor reviews, or procedures in the cath lab (injecting contrast for angiography). You also consult with ICU teams for emergency cardiac cases and supervise trainees or technologists using systems like Epic or MEDITECH to document care.
Expect to work with electrocardiogram machines, Holter monitors for continuous rhythm capture, echocardiogram ultrasound, and cardiac CT or cardiac MRI for anatomy. Nuclear imaging is used for perfusion studies.
You’ll also read reports from vascular ultrasound (watching the display and recording blood flow), calculate valve areas from Doppler velocities, and enter results into Epic or MEDITECH. Each system has its own workflow; learn the scanning views and normal ranges first.
You lead the acute response: assess airway/breathing, get a stat ECG, start oxygen/IV access, give aspirin and other guideline drugs, and activate the cath lab if needed. For unstable arrhythmias you may perform or direct electrical cardioversion or antiarrhythmic drug therapy and use a defibrillator.
You coordinate with ER and ICU, order urgent imaging (troponin labs, chest X‑ray, cardiac CT if needed), and supervise trainees. Documentation goes into the EHR (Epic or MEDITECH) and you arrange follow‑up or referral for specialized procedures like electrophysiology studies.
After medical school you complete a 3‑year internal medicine residency, then a 3‑ to 4‑year cardiology fellowship; some subspecialties (interventional or electrophysiology) add 1–3 more years. Board certification requires passing internal medicine and cardiology boards.
During fellowship you learn procedures (angiography with contrast, electrophysiology studies), imaging (echo, cardiac MRI/CT), emergency management, and research methods. Expect hands‑on time with echo machines, Holter analysis, and EHRs like Epic.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were about 17,290 cardiologists employed and the median annual wage was $496,010. The lowest tenth earned about $107,190 and the top tenth about $712,130 (BLS data, 2025).
Pay varies by subspecialty (interventional cardiology often pays more), geography, employer type, and call responsibilities. Hospital-employed versus private practice models also change compensation structure.
A cardiologist is a physician who diagnoses and treats heart disease, prescribes medications, performs procedures like electrophysiology studies, and interprets imaging (echo, cardiac CT/MRI). They also manage emergencies and direct care teams.
A cardiac sonographer is a technician who performs and records echocardiograms and vascular ultrasounds (observes display, measures flow) but does not diagnose or prescribe. A cardiac surgeon performs open-heart operations (valve replacements, bypass) and is a separate specialty; cardiologists refer patients for those surgeries.
Learn to read ECGs and Holter monitor strips fast and accurately, and become competent in echocardiogram interpretation and Doppler velocity calculations (for valve area estimates). Those skills guide urgent decisions and referrals.
Also develop clear procedural skills (contrast injection/angiography basics, electrophysiology concepts), documentation in Epic or MEDITECH, and teamwork—mentoring juniors and coordinating with ICU, radiology, and surgery are daily tasks.