It takes years of medical school, residency, and fellowship programs to become a cardiologist, and how long your training will take depends upon what branch or subspecialty of cardiology you want to pursue.
The average salary for a cardiologist in the United States is $490,000 per year. However, there are many different subspecialties of cardiologists, and some earn far more.
Not sure which aspect of cardiovascular care to specialize in?
Here’s a look at the different types of cardiology careers that aspiring physicians may choose to pursue.
Specialty Determines Salary
Amongst all physicians, cardiologists are some of the highest income earners. While salary varies based on geographical location, years of experience, and employer, certain sub-specialties pay more than others.
Invasive and interventional cardiologists generally earn more than non-invasive cardiologists, as they provide more specialized care.
This website goes into greater detail on cardiology salaries and how your location, sub-specialty, and type of employer will determine how much you can earn each year.
Non-invasive Cardiology
Non-invasive cardiologists, also called general cardiologists, perform external medical tests on the heart to diagnose, detect, and treat cardiovascular disease. Non-invasive cardiologists do not perform heart surgery or catheterizations or implant stents or pacemakers. When invasive treatments are necessary, a general cardiologist will refer you to one within a different sub-specialty.
A non-invasive cardiologist may require a patient to have an MRI or perform a stress test. They also rely on electrocardiograms to detect and determine if there is any indication of cardiovascular disease.
Electrophysiology
Electrophysiologists focus on the electrical activities of the heart and treat patients with heart rhythm-related conditions where the heart beats irregularly or beats too fast. This includes conditions such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia, and ventricular tachycardia.
Electrophysiologists perform a variety of procedures, including catheter ablations and implanting pacemakers and defibrillators. They also diagnose and treat heart arrhythmias, sometimes by outfitting patients with external, wearable monitors.
Nuclear Cardiology
Nuclear cardiologists inject radioactive substances into patients to evaluate the blood supply to damaged areas of the heart. They do this when running imaging tests such as myocardial perfusion imaging and single-photon emission computed tomography. These types of tests help determine if specific parts of the heart are healthy or need further treatment.
Interventional Cardiology
The interventional cardiologist performs mild surgical procedures, such as angioplasty and implanting stents. They specialize in catheter-based procedures that involve entering the body through the blood vessels that go into the heart.
Interventional cardiologists are tasked with repairing and improving the function of blocked arteries and heart valves. This often prevents patients from having to undergo more invasive procedures, such as open heart surgery.
Pediatric Cardiology
As the name suggests, this type of physician works specifically with children and young adults under the age of 18. They focus on all sorts of cardiovascular issues with the younger population, including conditions such as congenital heart disease.
Most cardiac specialists start their training with a three year residency in internal medicine. Pediatric cardiologists, however, do a pediatrics residency first, followed by a pediatric cardiology fellowship.
Cardiac Surgery
Cardiac surgeons work in teams with other cardiologists and nursing professionals to perform life-saving measures to patients. This includes repairing damaged heart valves, cleaning and clearing arteries, and performing carotid endarterectomies to restore blood flow.
Training begins with a residency in general surgery, followed by a cardiac fellowship.
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Cardiothoracic surgeons operate on not just the heart, but on the lungs, esophagus, and other parts of the chest. They are cardiac surgeons and more, as they can perform surgery on the lungs and chest wall as well as the heart and other tissues inside the chest cavity.
Cardiothoracic surgeons treat a variety of cardiovascular issues, including blockages in heart valves, aneurysms of the large arteries in the chest, and coronary artery disease.
Transplant Cardiology
Patients with severe cardiovascular disease that can’t be repaired or improved by other measures rely on transplant cardiologists to handle the delicate task of implanting a new heart. Because of the complexity of transplant surgery, transplant surgeons often work on large teams with other physicians. Those teams typically include other cardiologists and other surgeons.
Cardiology Careers That Don’t Require a Medical License
There are many rewarding careers in cardiology that don’t require you to attend medical school or complete a lengthy residency. Those with an interest in the field may consider getting certified as a:
- Cardiovascular technologist
- Cardiographic technician
- ECG monitor technician
- Cardiac sonographer
- Clinical nurse specialist
- Vascular technologist
In Conclusion
Cardiology is a rewarding and high-paying area of medicine, and there are many paths available to pursue. If you’re considering a cardiac specialty, keep in mind that there is no such thing as a cardiology residency. Most cardiologists begin their training with an internal medicine residency or a general surgery residency, followed by a fellowship in the specific area of their choice. After cardiologist training, If you want to run any online health consultation website then you should need to use the best free shopify apps which can improve your customers online chat experience and also it helps in marketing.