Description of Job for which Program Prepares Students

          Electrocardiology technology is an allied health profession concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of patients with heart and blood vessel disease. The cardiovascular technologist performs tests at the request of the physician to obtain information about that patient’s heart function so the physician can make a diagnosis.  The profession of electrocardiology technology includes the of diagnostic evaluation electrical impulses generated by the heart during cardiac function.

The cardiovascular technology program provides the necessary classroom and clinical courses to allow graduates to work as electrodiagnostic, treadmill technologists, monitoring technologists.

Required program prerequisites

          q  Allied Health 010: Health Occupations

          q  Biology 221: Human Anatomy & Physiology

Certificate

This is a Certificate of Achievement program and is the first year of the Cardiovascular Technology program.

Does this program transfer?

No

Procedure for program admittance

All students must complete the course Allied Health 010 – Health Occupations in order to apply to the program.  Students are selected and admitted to the program on a first come, first serve basis following completion of Allied Health 010. (See Application and Admittance under “Allied Health” for further details).

Length of program

10 months.  Students completing the Electrocardiology Certificate only exit the program after one year with a Certificate of Achievement as an ECG technician.

Program start

Fall of each semester

Employment possibilities upon program completion

Hospitals, physician’s offices, clinics, and mobile diagnostic services companies.

Salaries

ECG Technician, Stress testing technician, Holter monitoring technician, Pacemaker technician, and Monitor technician = $10-$14/hour starting salary.

Courses within the program which students can take while seeking admission to the program (subject to catalog restrictions)

          q  Allied Health 111: Medical Terminology

          q  Allied Health 120: Human Diseases

          q  CIS 100: Introduction to Information Systems

          q  Technology 040: Technical Math  (or equivalent or higher math)

Spaces available

          24

Background checks

All students will be required to submit an application for pre-clinical background check.  The background check will include Social Security number, address verification, a two-county felony criminal history, a State sex offender search, and a Medicare/Medicare Sanctioned Fraud List verification (OIG/GSA) search.  The background checks will be performed by a service provided by the District and must be completed prior to beginning of the first clinical rotation.  The student understands that the results of background checks must be provided to the clinical sites before patient care or clinical work commences.

Clinical requirements

The program requires that students participate in scheduled course clinical experience concurrent with classroom courses. Clinical assignments provide students with hands-on application of knowledge and skills learned in the classroom and laboratory courses at OCC contracted hospitals, medical centers, and/or outpatient facilities.  It is the responsibility of each student to provide his or her own transportation to assigned clinical sites.

Just prior to entry into clinical students are required to complete/obtain:

          q  A physical examination

          q  Criminal background check clearance

          q  CPR, HIPAA training, Blood borne pathogen training provided through Al H 115

          q  Student liability insurance

Students must adhere to appropriate required dress code which may include a laboratory coat, nametag, and other program specific requirements.

Clinical sites may require may require drug testing or other blood work.  There may be exposure to hazardous materials or pathogens in the clinical setting.  Students will adhere to all safety and precautionary measures.  The student receives no financial compensation for clinical experience, but does receive course units as a required class in the program.

Employment Prospects

Good – better in some geographical locations

Accreditation of Program

This program is fully accredited by CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education programs) For more information, go to www.caahep.org

Other

Students may exit the program after the first year and obtain a Certificate of Achievement as an ECG Technician.  Graduates with an ECG Technician certificate may obtain employment as an ECG technician, Stress testing technician, Holter monitoring technician, Pacemaker technician, and Monitor (Telemetry) technician.

Contact information

          Darryl Isaac, Program Coordinator          Dan Adelmann, Allied Health Advisor

          Office: C & L 100-B                              Office: C&L 114 B

          Phone: 714-432-5549                      Phone: 714-432-5541 Appt:714-432-5702

          disaac@occ.cccd.edu                         dadelmann@occ.cccd.edu

                   Allied Health Program Assistant – Jane McLaughlin – 714-432-5729