What exactly is a telemetry technician and how are they trained?

That is a good question and one that deserves a look. Though you may be familiar with telemetry and its uses in general, you may not know it medical uses, and who is involved in it.

An electrocardiogram is a readout that records that voltage that your heart produces as it cycles, or pumps. Telemetry technicians are professional health assistance who control and operate electrocardiograph machines. They then give doctors the information collected so that they may treat or diagnose certain heart problems. Telemetry technicians often work in clinics, doctors’ offices, cardiologist offices, and hospitals.

In a basic telemetry technician training starts with teaching students how to recognize and read abnormalities in an electrocardiogram. Telemetry technicians are also trained in the evaluation of pacemakers and stress-testing. In essence, they are cardiac data collection professionals. As their training continues, technicians are trained in theory and techniques for all of their duties and data collection processes.

Not unlike other medical professionals, telemetry technicians are also put through rigorous internship experiences. They rotate often through the cardiology departments of various hospitals and clinics. They are taught hands on how to read and collect the data that various heart tests produce.

Telemetry is a highly critical process in hospitals. It is not practical to actually open a person up to get data on their organs at any given time. This is especially true and important when it comes to the heart. With that in mind, you can see how a telemetry technician can be a vital part of the cardiology department. They act as the collector and to a degree, interpreter of important heart data that can save lives by helping the cardiologist to get the whole picture. Who knows, maybe one day you will be thanking a telemetry technician for catching your problem.