EKG Technician Certification Program

Summary Description:

EKG Technicians perform electrocardiogram tests to monitor and record the electrical impulses of the heart. These tests, which include basic EKG’s as well as treadmill stress tests, 24-hour monitoring, and 12 lead placement procedures, assist a physician in diagnosing and treating cardiac and blood vessel irregularities. Currently, EKG technicians are in demand to work in hospitals, physicians’ offices, clinics, and other health care facilities. They may also work for insurance companies toward underwriting health and life insurance policies.

Cal State L.A.'s EKG Technician certification program equips students to function as competent EKG technicians and prepares them to take national certifying exams, such as the ASPT – EKG technician exam (given by the American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians). The course combines theory and practice, covering important background on the anatomy and physiology of the heart and chest, on heart disease and disease processes, on medical terminology, and on the legal and ethical aspects of patient contact. A strength of the program, however, is the practical and hands-on experience the students will receive in the use and placement of the EKG machine and other equipment, and in reading and analyzing EKG printouts to determine ‘cardiac intervals and complexes’ and normal vs. abnormal readings. A graded final exam helps students gauge their progress toward future success on the ASPT-EKG Technician exam.

Who Can Enroll?

Students should have a high school diploma or the GED equivalent to enroll in the program.

Course Descriptions:

In detail, the course will cover these areas:

• Role of the EKG technician
  
• Function of the EKG Department in a variety of settings
  
• Introduction to medical terminology
  
• Medical terms related to electrocardiography
  
• Care and safety of patients
  
• Anatomy of the heart, the conduct ion system, circulation of the heart and blood vessels
  
• Electrical conduction system of the heart
  
• The cardiac cycle
  
• EKG strip analysis (wave form interpretation)
  
• Normal sinus rhythm, sinus bradycardis, and sinus tachycardia
  
• Basic EKG interpretation
  
• Recognizing artifacts, troubleshooting, tracing problems
  
• Preparing a patient for EKG
  
• 12 lead EKGs (interpretation and troubleshooting)
  
• 12 lead placement
  
• Echocardiography
  
• Other roles for the EKG Technician

Program Cost:

The program cost for fifteen meetings (twice per week for seven weeks) is $1,099.

Course Schedule: Courses will meet two evenings per week from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., exact days to be determined each quarter according to a Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday schedule. A total of 50 classroom hours constitutes one complete session of the course. Classes will meet in university classrooms on the campus of CSULA. Contact (323) 343-4900 for classroom location.

Job Prospects and Potential Salary :

To meet the needs of a large aging population, employment of EKG technicians is expected to increase faster than average through 2012 (source: Education Online). While certain functions of the EKG technician may be performed through nursing assistants or R.N.’s, e.g., the basic EKG prcedures, job prospects will remain strong for certified technician trained to perform stress testing and the 24-hour Holter monitoring.

Average salaries for EKG technicians in 2002 ranged from $20,920 to $56, 080, and should be increasing. Hourly rates for certified technicians in California range from $17.49 to $21.90 per hour (Sources: www.education-online-search.com/articles/careers/medical_careers/ekg_technician ; and www.payscale.com ).

Instructors:

All instructors are provided by Condensed Curriculum International and are familiar w ith the requirements of the ASPT-EKG technician exam.

Contact Us:

For more information please contact the College of Extended Studies and International Programs (CESIP) at California State University, Los Angeles, at (323) 343-4967 or email Robin Hall rhall@cslanet.calstatela.edu.

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Course Schedule Winter 2013

EKG Technician Certification Program
Course No.	C131215
Course Fee	$1,099 (textbook included)
Date	Mondays and Wednesdays, March 25 - May 15 (no meeting 4/1/13)
Time	6:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Length	50 hours
Location	CSULA - GE 214
Instructor	Condensed Curriculum International, Inc.