The information about Cardiologist Salary, Job Description, Education and Training, helps aspiring cardiologist and doctors with helpful insight into the profession. A Cardiologist is a doctor who specialize in diagnosing and treating diseases or conditions of the heart and blood vessels. They are specialist in the treatment of heart conditions and blood vessel issues.
Cardiologist Job Description
There are three types of Cardiologist Doctor – The Interventional, Invasive Cardiologist and the Non-Invasive Cardiologist.
The Non-Invasive Cardiologist deals with the non-surgical procedures, manage and treat various cardiovascular conditions. They perform diagnostic tests, prescribe medicines and recommend certain diet modifications. Invasive cardiologists diagnose, perform catheterization (procedure done to detect artery blockage) and treat patients just like noninvasive cardiologists. Interventional cardiologists possess an ability to perform the above mentioned jobs in addition to performing the most advanced procedures such as Angioplasty.
Many Cardiologist work odd hours and also work 60 hours or more per week, most of this time is spent on call. A cardiac or cardio-vascular surgeon can be a cardiologist who specializes in surgical interventions of the heart and vascular system. Or it can be a surgeon who chose to specialize in cardiac surgery. They are highly specialized. Some of the diagnostic tools used by cardiologists include echocardiograms, cardiac catheterizations and exercise tests.
Cardiologist Education and Training
To became a Cardiologist you need a college degree at least a 3 or 4 year college program with pre-med courses taken. You can then apply to a med school for after passing Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). The Medical College is a 4 year program, the training prepares the student for clinical practice. It is a mixture of theoretical training and practical clinical training.
Upon completion of Med School, you will enter an internal medicine residency program, which will usually last for about 3 years. During this period you will learn more about the different aspect of medicine, to gain specialized training in Cardiology. You need to enter a cardiology fellowship program, which will lead to specialization in cardiology. This takes at least 3 years to complete, the training specializes on the various aspect of cardiology and the modern technology used in the field.
In all total time required to become a licensed cardiologist will be between 12 – 16 years, cardiology also requires continuous education. You can also specialize in Pediatric Cardiologist, which deals with the treatment of heart and blood vessel diseases in Infants and children.
Cardiology is a profession that requires high level of skills and it is a profession that treats life threatening diseases. Cardiologist are one of the highest paid professionals in the health sector. A lot of investment in education and time spent in the hospital helping and treating cases has made it not only a highly paid profession but also a respected one.
The salary of the Cardiologist depend first on the location, years of experience and specialization. In almost all profession experience is a very important factor when considering salary package.
The salary range of a cardiologist is between $ 150,000 to $ 550,000. The top earners are usually consultants with years of experience and reputation. While entry-level cardiologist may start with $150,000 or more, depending on the location and specialization.
However it is reported that some professional cardiologist earn as much as $900,000 and many more are set to beat this record.
Average earning per hour is between $110 to $450.
Cardiologist Salary, Job Description, Education and Training for those who need to make a decision or enquiry about the cardiology profession.