Cardiac Technicians

ANZSCO ID 311212

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
690
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
61%
Female Share
70%
Average age
36

Summary

Cardiac Technicians conduct tests on patients to record heart activity using specialised equipment, recording devices and laboratory instruments in support of Cardiologists and other Medical Practitioners engaged in diagnosing, monitoring and treating heart disease.

Specialisations: Cardiac Technologist, Electrocardiographic Technician.

A bachelor degree in science or allied health majoring in biophysics, health science, nursing, physiology or exercise physiology is needed to work as a Cardiac Technician. Some workers have a postgraduate qualification.

Tasks

  • Operates equipment used in diagnosing and monitoring disorders of the heart, kidneys, nervous system.

  • Records the electrical activity of the heart, from which the heart rate is measured and pattern and rhythm interpreted.

Characteristics

Job Type
Technicians And Trades Workers
Skill Level
High skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Medical Technicians, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 61% of people employed as Cardiac Technicians work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 5 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 41 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Health Care and Social Assistance
90.0%
2
Wholesale Trade
6.4%
3
Manufacturing
1.4%
4
Public Administration and Safety
0.4%
5
Other industries
0.4%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

31.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

34.5% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

11.4% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

8.2% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

13.0% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

0.4% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.0% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.4% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Cardiac Technicians All Jobs Average
NSW 31.1 31.6
VIC 34.5 25.6
QLD 11.4 20.0
SA 8.2 7.0
WA 13.0 10.8
TAS 0.4 2.0
NT 1.0 1.0
ACT 0.4 1.9


  • Around 82% of Cardiac Technicians live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Victoria has a large share of employment relative to its population size.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
36
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
70%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Cardiac Technicians is 36 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 70% of the workforce. This is 22 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Cardiac Technicians All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 11.3 9.3
25-34 36.1 22.9
35-44 21.5 22.0
45-54 18.3 21.6
55-59 6.5 9.0
60-64 3.6 6.0
65 and Over 2.7 4.2
Median Age 36 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A bachelor degree in science or allied health majoring in biophysics, health science, nursing, physiology or exercise physiology is needed to work as a Cardiac Technician. Some workers have a postgraduate qualification.

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  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Cardiac Technicians All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 20.6 10.1
Bachelor degree 57.3 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 10.5 11.6
Certificate III/IV 4.6 21.1
Year 12 5.0 18.1
Year 11 0.6 4.8
Year 10 and below 1.4 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Medical Technicians who have good people skills, a high attention to detail and are accurate.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 59%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 55%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 54%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 54%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 52%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 50%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 48%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 46%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 46%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 46%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 46%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 45%

    Operation monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

  • 45%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 43%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 43%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 41%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 36%

    Quality control analysis

    Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.

  • 32%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 71%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 58%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 56%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 50%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 49%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 47%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 47%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 41%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 38%

    Physics

    The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

  • 33%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 32%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 31%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

  • 29%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 28%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 23%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 23%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 21%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 21%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 18%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 18%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 59%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 55%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 55%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 52%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 52%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 50%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 48%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 46%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 46%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 46%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 46%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 45%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 45%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 45%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 45%

    Control precision

    Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

  • 45%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 41%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

  • 41%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 80%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 73%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 71%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 70%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 67%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 66%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 64%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 63%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 60%

    Controlling equipment or machines

    Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).

  • 60%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 60%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 58%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 57%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 57%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 57%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 56%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 54%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

  • 53%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 49%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 35%

    Leading and encouraging a team

    Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 76%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 76%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 76%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 52%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 33%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 19%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 86%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 86%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 71%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 62%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 62%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 57%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 99%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 98%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 95%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 94%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 93%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 92%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 88%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 87%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 86%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 86%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 86%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 85%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 84%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

    Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.

  • 82%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 81%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 81%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 80%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 79%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 78%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 75%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-2031.00 - Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians.


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