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Clinical Physiologist in Cardiology

Do you want to become a Clinical Physiologist in Cardiology? Here is some information to help point you in the right direction:

Job Description - Print Page

Clinical physiologists in cardiology work with heart patients. They carry out investigations to measure heart activity and detect disease. Their findings and analysis are critical to patients' future treatment and well-being.

Their responsibilities include:

• supervising tests and helping to keep patients comfortable
• analysing the results, and providing them to doctors and surgeons
• preparing and maintaining the high-tech equipment
• supporting pacemaker implants, and helping patients get the most from them
• assisting doctors in more complex operations in theatre.

Clinical physiologists work a basic 37-hour week. They may do shift work and be on call some weekends and evenings. The work is based in hospital cardiology units.

Salaries range from £9,929 for a trainee to £38,340 for the most senior physiologists with wide responsibilities.

Clinical physiologists in cardiology should have:

• excellent skills in numeracy
• good communication skills, spoken and written
• good analytical skills
• meticulous attention to detail
• a confident and sympathetic manner, to earn the trust of patients who may be anxious
• an interest in medicine and electronics.

There are currently around 4,000 clinical physiologists in cardiology, based in 200 NHS cardiac units across the UK. Qualified physiologists are highly sought after by hospitals.

The entry requirement for this job is a degree in clinical physiology (cardiology). The degree course can be done full time at university, or, for trainee physiologists already working in a cardiac unit, courses are available with day or block release attendance at college. Universities normally seek two or three A levels/H grades (A-C/1-3), including biology and another science, plus four or five GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3), to include English, maths, biology and sometimes chemistry. Having completed a degree they are then able to register with the Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists.

Training is carried out on the job, led by senior staff. The professional body, The Society for Cardiological Science and Technology, offers examinations in various aspects of cardiac technology.

With experience, clinical physiologists in cardiology may be promoted to supervisory and senior levels. For some, it may be necessary to move from the local area to gain promotion.

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