Cardiovascular Technologists and Technician resume example

A resume for a Cardiovascular Technologists and Technician needs to show the work itself: conduct tests on pulmonary or cardiovascular systems of patients for diagnostic, therapeutic, or research purposes. Day to day that means work like this: conduct electrocardiogram (EKG), phonocardiogram, echocardiogram, stress testing, or other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity, using specialized electronic test equipment, recording devices, or laboratory instruments; explain testing procedures to patients to obtain cooperation and reduce anxiety. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

  • Cardio Tech
  • Cardiovascular Technician
  • Cardiology Technician
  • Cardiovascular Technologist
  • CVT
  • RCIS
  • Cardiac Catheterization Technician
  • Cardiac Technician
  • Cardiopulmonary Technician
  • Electrocardiogram Technician
  • EKG Tech
  • ARRT Technologist
  • Cath Lab Radiological Technologist
  • Cath Lab Tech
  • CTT
  • EEG Technician
  • Lab Technician
  • Lab Technologist

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

  • Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Technologist
  • Cardio Tech (Cardiovascular Technician)
  • Cardiovascular Technologist (CVT)
  • Electrocardiogram Technician (EKG Tech)
  • Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS)

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

  • Conduct electrocardiogram (EKG), phonocardiogram, echocardiogram, stress testing, or other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity, using specialized electronic test equipment, recording devices, or laboratory instruments.
  • Explain testing procedures to patients to obtain cooperation and reduce anxiety.
  • Monitor patients' blood pressure and heart rate using electrocardiogram (EKG) equipment during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures to notify the physician if something appears wrong.
  • Obtain and record patient identification, medical history, or test results.
  • Monitor patients' comfort and safety during tests, alerting physicians to abnormalities or changes in patient responses.
  • Prepare and position patients for testing.
  • Attach electrodes to the patients' chests, arms, and legs, connect electrodes to leads from the electrocardiogram (EKG) machine, and operate the EKG machine to obtain a reading.
  • Adjust equipment and controls according to physicians' orders or established protocol.
  • Check, test, and maintain cardiology equipment, making minor repairs when necessary, to ensure proper operation.
  • Supervise or train other cardiology technologists or students.
  • Compare measurements of heart wall thickness and chamber sizes to standard norms to identify abnormalities.
  • Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.

21 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

  • Conduct electrocardiogram (EKG), phonocardiogram, echocardiogram, stress testing, or other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity, using specialized electronic test equipment, recording devices, or laboratory instruments, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Explain testing procedures to patients to obtain cooperation and reduce anxiety, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Monitor patients' blood pressure and heart rate using electrocardiogram (EKG) equipment during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures to notify the physician if something appears wrong, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Obtain and record patient identification, medical history, or test results, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

  • Database software
  • Diagnostic image review software
  • Digital Imaging Communications in Medicine DICOM-compatible image acquisition and integration software products
  • Electronic medical record EMR software
  • Hypertext preprocessor PHP
  • Information systems integration software
  • Internet or intranet image distribution software
  • JavaScript
  • MEDITECH software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Word
  • Practice management software PMS

19 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

  • 3, 4, and 5 stopcock manifolds
  • Activated clotting time ACT lab equipment
  • Angiojets
  • Arterial line stop-cocks
  • Automated external defibrillators AED
  • Automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator AICD implants
  • Balloon catheters
  • Bird's nest inferior vena caval filters
  • Blood collection syringes
  • Blood gas analyzers
  • Brachial artery needles
  • Brockenbrough needles

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

  1. 01Active Listening
  2. 02Critical Thinking
  3. 03Monitoring
  4. 04Operations Monitoring
  5. 05Speaking
  6. 06Reading Comprehension
  7. 07Social Perceptiveness
  8. 08Judgment and Decision Making
  9. 09Service Orientation
  10. 10Active Learning

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • English Language
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Education and Training

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

  • 63%Associate's Degree
  • 13%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
  • 10%High School Diploma, or the equivalent

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Cardiovascular Technologists and Technician do?
Conduct tests on pulmonary or cardiovascular systems of patients for diagnostic, therapeutic, or research purposes. Day to day that includes work like conduct electrocardiogram (EKG), phonocardiogram, echocardiogram, stress testing, or other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity, using specialized electronic test equipment, recording devices, or laboratory instruments and Explain testing procedures to patients to obtain cooperation and reduce anxiety.
What skills should a Cardiovascular Technologists and Technician put on a resume?
O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Cardiovascular Technologists and Technician list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Database software, Diagnostic image review software, Digital Imaging Communications in Medicine DICOM-compatible image acquisition and integration software products, Electronic medical record EMR software, and Hypertext preprocessor PHP. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Cardiovascular Technologists and Technician work?
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Cardio Tech, Cardiovascular Technician, Cardiology Technician, and Cardiovascular Technologist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Cardiovascular Technologists and Technician need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 63% reported their level of education as "Associate's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Cardiovascular Technologists and Technician role?
No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

  • No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
  • This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
  • Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.