What education I need to work on Telemetry unit or as an EKG technician?

Specialties Cardiac

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I just finished my Health Unit Coordinator (HUC) classes and my internship starts pretty soon. My teacher said that for having better chances to get hired, I should have other specialties on my resume, to go along with my HUC Certificate.

I was considering either EKG technician or Telemetry technician. I found some places here, in MN that have either a ONE day class to become 12 lead EKG technician or 63 hours class.

I just cannot understand how one day class will give me enough knowledge to be a good professional? Or maybe I am wrong, maybe one day is totally enough for learning how to place leads? But don't I need to recognize the waves and read the strip?

As for telemetry technician, don't I need to read the waves the screens and recognize heat attacks?

Currently, I am a Medical Interpreter for the last 7 years.

I do not know what path to take, please help me.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Home Health, Primary Care.

I think the 12 lead EKG tech class would only be for DOING the EKG...not interpreting it. I've been a cardiac nurse for several years now and there's still stuff I don't know about 12 leads....

Depending on where you work you may never even don12 leads. As a student tech at one hospital the techs did them. The hospital where I was a nurse cardiopulmonary did them.

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Thank you; it is just hard to believe that all I need is just one day of education. Also have been told that cardiologist is the one who will read the strip that I printed out.

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Specializes in Quality, Cardiac Stepdown, MICU.

EKG techs absolutely do not interpret the strips. Many nurses sometimes even struggle with the interpretation. It takes less than 30 minutes to learn everything you would ever need to know about performing an EKG.

Perhaps you were thinking of monitor tech? That's the person who watches the heart monitors at night. In that job, you DO need to be able to interpret what you're looking at, and it's usually a several week or more course.

At my facility, most HUCs double as either monitor techs or CNAs. Though I would think you would be in greatest demand as a medical interpreter -- we never have any of those around, at least not in person!

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