Updated October 8, 2022
Cardiac Technology or Cardiovascular Technology is about dealing with equipment used in pre and post Cardiac Surgery and implants. Cardio Technologist thus, assist Cardiac surgeons in entire process of treating cardiac patients who need surgery or implants.
Be it cardiac catheterization, electrophysiology tests, balloon angioplasties or monitoring the cardiac conditions after invasive procedures, the equipment part is looked after by the Cardiac Technologists and the gamut of technologies is called Cardiac Technology or Cardiovascular Technology.
Cardiac technology is the field of medicine that deals with treating, diagnosing & preventing cardiac defects & peripheral vascular diseases. This tech intensive course is an undergraduate degree program and you can take it up after 12th PCMB. At Masters, post-doctoral, & residency levels the students get into micro level studies of cardiac technology.
What is Cardiac Technology?
Cardiac technology is an area of study that concerns the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various heart complications as well as some parts of the cardiovascular system. The medical personnel who specialize in this medicine are called Cardiologists. They will carry out tests and may perform some procedures, such as heart catheterizations, angioplasty, or inserting a pacemaker.
Essentially, they are trained to perform minimally invasive procedures like implantation of a pacemaker, catheterization, etc. To make you aware, Cardiologists are different from Cardiac Surgeons, and the latter can be involved in treating heart defects which require complicated & extensive invasive medical procedures.
Who can Study the Cardiac Technology Discipline?
Students getting an urge to serve the people should proactively advance their steps for this discipline. It is a growing and most intriguing & challenging area of study. Treating numerous chronic & light cardiac disorders and peripheral vascular diseases is this discipline’s major concern.
Apart from the internal call, students must possess intermediate education with excellent grades in the science stream, especially Biology, physics, chemistry, and English should be the main subjects in their senior secondary schooling.
For the unversed, the foundational course for Cardiac technology specialization starts with BSc in Cardiac technology, which can be pursued after completing the 12th board. Though having a 10+2 certificate from the recognized institute is a must for aspirants, there are several other requirements needed to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in a cardiovascular technology course.
Subsequently, graduates can opt for master’s, Ph.D., and post-doctoral courses in the cardiovascular technology discipline.
Factors Cause the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Here are some of the significant factors that cause in developing the cardiovascular diseases:
(a) Age: Older people are more prone to cardiovascular diseases than the person of younger age. Thus, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease increases with age.
(b) Social and Economic factors: The social & economic factors like Poverty, hygiene, education level, etc., are leading the cause of cardiac disorders & peripheral vascular system complications.
(c) Lifestyle factors: Researchers have also hinted that the lifestyle of an individual also increases the susceptibility to falling prey to cardiovascular complications. An unhealthy lifestyle includes smoking, drinking, diet, exercise, stress, and so on.
(d) Environmental Pollution: Pollution is a major concern for the researcher because it makes a massive impact on the lives of human beings and the cause of death of millions of people. Fine dust (PM2.5) exposure, high carbon dioxide concentration, etc., are the pollutants that affect human health, specifically the heart.
(e) Gender: Women have a lower general susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases
How Could Cardiac Technology be Beneficial for Students?
Considered the most significant internal medicine, it offers various advantages to the participants as well as society. Remarkably, the cardiologists have saved thousands of people and will continue to do from a heart attacks, heart failure, and other heart problems. They are real-life superheroes. Shedding light on the benefit of studying Cardiovascular Technology include the following:
(a) With developing new and advanced technologies in the field has opened a wide range of career opportunities for the participants.
(b) I am sure the salary must be the least concern. However, a physician with appropriate skills & knowledge in this internal medicine can earn an annual killing salary.
(c) Upon being equipped with knowledge, expertise & skills of cardiovascular technology specialization, the specialists can help in diagnosing, preventing, and treating numerous cardiac disorders and cardiovascular system problems.
(d) In case the individuals have a family history of cholesterol, diabetes, and life-threatening defects, you can consult and give proper advice to the individuals.
(e) You can become the Saviour of several precious lives.
What are the Responsibilities of Cardiologists?
The following are the critical roles played by the physicians:
(a) Testing patients for any symptoms of cardiovascular problems
(b) Providing treatment to patients by analyzing results of diagnostic tests and Labs
(c) Creating a customized treatment plan for all patients
(d) Maintaining medical equipment as well as machines valuable to this branch of medicine
(e) Treat through catheter insertion and pacemakers in any kind of clinical setting
(f) Consult with patients about the risk of heart disease and prevention techniques
How to Become a Cardiologist?
A cardiologist is among the most rewarding and lucrative careers in the medical profession. But how nice the profession sounds? The journey of pursuing a career as a cardiologist is equally difficult. In the way of making a career in the domain, aspirants will come across several obstacles, which they will also have to complete successfully. Honestly, it requires your proper dedication, determination, hard work, and strategies to be emerged as worthy of holding this challenging position. Starting from the base, listed below are the steps that can help you hit the target:
(a) Complete Intermediate Education
In order to make a career in the Cardiac Technology domain, you should start well in advance from the schooling level. Thus, your first step is to obtain an excellent grade in the 10+2 schooling or equivalent with BiPC as the compulsory subject. Possessing suitable grades in the intermediate will provide you an advantage in choosing your dream medical college.
Before you step into Bachelor’s course, you will have to crack the entrance exam of the institute you are interested in. NEET, IPU CET, BHU CET, etc., are some of the entrance tests for Undergraduate-level Cardiac Technology Courses.
(b) Earn Bachelor’s Degree
You can start your career in Cardiac Technology by entering the MBBS course, but for this, you will require to clear NEET Entrance Test. To make you aware, there is no specific course for cardiology in MBBS. It includes the study of general topics related to the human body, medicine, and surgery.
Apart from MBBS, numerous institutes also offer BSc Cardiology courses. But for this, you may need to take an entrance test, as the institute specifies.
(c) Obtain a Master’s Degree or PG Degree
In order to take up a master’s degree in Cardiac Technology, taking entrance tests like NEET-PG, MCAT, etc., is a must for the aspirant. It is a stepping stone for making a career in cardiac technology. The course will build your extensive understanding of several significant aspects of the discipline. Nevertheless, improving skills and expertise in practical applications of Cardiac Technology are also the major concern of the course.
(d) Get Admission to Residency & Fellowship Program
Cardiology is a specialty discipline, and those aspiring to become full-fledged cardiologists would require to obtain a Residency program in the field. The participants who have MD or DO degrees must finish their three-year residency training in internal medicine. Such courses enable students to learn and gain practical experience in cardiac technology under a qualified cardiologist’s direction.
In the next step, students can opt for a 3-year training program for fellowships in Cardiology that further breaks down into different sub-specialties such as heart failure, cardiovascular disease, and interventions in Cardiology.
(e) Get Licensed to Practice Cardiology Medicine
The last and most crucial step to becoming a cardiologist is to get licensed. Upon getting licensed, the specialists can practice cardiology or cardiovascular technology Medicine in clinical settings.
What are the Courses for Cardiac Technology?
Post 12th board, BSc Cardiology is the basic degree to start out in cardiac Technology. But, there are plethora of higher academics in cardiac care that you can explore. The following is the list of academic avenue in Cardiac Technology which you can take up and grow in career space.
(I) MSc Cardiology
(II) MRes Cancer Technology
(III) MSc in Cardiology and Stroke
(IV) PgCert Cardiovascular Science
(V) MSc Cardiovascular Disease
(VI) MS in Cancer Research (Collaborative)
(VII) PgCert Small Animal Cardiology Studies
(VIII) MSc (Med) in Cardiovascular and Renal Sciences
(IX) MRes in Cardiovascular Health and Disease
(X) MSc Cardiorespiratory: Advanced Physiotherapy
(XI) MS (Cardiology)
(XII) M.Ch (Cardiology) (XIII) Ph.D. in Cardio Thoracic & Vascular Surgery
(XIV) MD in Cardiology
(XV) DM in Cardiology
(XVI) PGD in Cardiology