29 11.7 Career Connections Related to the Cardiovascular System
Career Connections Related to the Cardiovascular System[1]
Cardiac Care Nurses
Cardiac care nurses provide care for patients with a variety of heart diseases or conditions in a cardiac care unit (CCU) in hospitals. They administer heart medications, help patients recover from heart surgery, or perform emergency care like assisting in defibrillation.
Cardiologists
A cardiologist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. Cardiothoracic surgeons surgically treat heart disorders. A cardiac electrophysiologist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of issues related to the heart’s electrical conduction system.
Read more information about cardiologists on the American Medical Association’s Cardiovascular Disease Specialty web page.
Cardiology Nurse Practitioners
Cardiology nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses with advanced education and clinical experience to provide care for patients with chronic and acute cardiac diseases. Many cardiology NPs work in private practices, inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinic settings, or multiple practice settings where they assess the health status of patients, prescribe pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments, and collaborate with an interdisciplinary team.
Read more information on “A Day in the Life of a Cardiology Nurse Practitioner (NP)” web page by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Cardiology Physician Assistants
Cardiology physician assistants (PAs) work in collaboration with cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons. They provide a broad range of medical care to patients with varied clinical duties depending on the subspecialty and setting. PAs take medical histories, perform physical examinations, order and interpret laboratory and diagnostic tests, diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans for their patients, prescribe medications, perform procedures, and assist in surgery.
Read more information about cardiology PAs on the “PAs in Cardiology” PDF from the American Academy of Physician Assistants website.
Cardiovascular Perfusionist
Cardiovascular perfusionists operate circulation equipment that artificially supports or temporarily replaces a patient’s circulatory or respiratory function. An example of such equipment is a heart-lung machine used during some types of coronary artery bypass surgeries.
Visit the Mayo Clinic: Cardiovascular Perfusionist web page for more information.
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians perform cardiovascular diagnostic tests and procedures such as electrocardiography, stress testing, Holter monitor testing, ambulatory blood pressure (BP) testing, and pacemaker monitoring.
Read more about cardiovascular technologist and technician positions on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 29-2031 Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians page.
Vascular Sonographer
Vascular sonographers use ultrasound machines to produce images of patients’ veins and arteries using high-frequency sound waves. Physicians use these images that show the movement of blood through vessels to diagnose and treat various conditions.[2]
Vascular Surgeon
Vascular surgery includes repair and replacement of diseased or damaged blood vessels, removal of plaque from vessels, and insertion of venous catheters. [3]
- Ernstmeyer, K., & Christman, E. (Eds.). (2024). Medical terminology 2e. Open RN | WisTech Open. https://wtcs.pressbooks.pub/medterm/ ↵
- American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. (n.d). Vascular sonography. https://www.arrt.org/pages/earn-arrt-credentials/credential-options/vascular-sonography ↵
- Society for Vascular Surgery. (2023). What is a vascular surgeon? https://vascular.org/patients-and-referring-physicians/common-questions/what-vascular-surgeon ↵
