Electrocardiography Technician Associate in Science, Major

The Electrocardiography program prepares students to operate various ECG equipment and devices as well as obtain and process different types of bloodwork. The students would be able to work as an ECG and a Phlebotomy Technician in physicians’ offices, non-invasive cardiac diagnostic departments in hospitals, and medical clinics or other medical facilities. Graduates are eligible to sit for the national registry examination: Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI). The certificate in Phlebotomy provides students with the theoretical knowledge and skills competencies necessary to meet California regulatory requirements for phlebotomy technicians and prepares students to take the CPT-1 examination.

The following has been the trend for students completing the courses required for this degree:

Course Number	Course Title	Annual Sections	Annual/Enrollment/ Completions
ECGT 101	ECG Technician 1	1	35/30
ECGT 102	ECG Technician 2	1	20-25/20
ECGT 103A	ECG Technician Professional Experience	1	15-20/15
ECGT 103B	ECG Technician Professional Practice	1	15/15

 

The goal to move the current Certificate Program to an AS Degree is the increase in the number of technicians needed for monitoring cardiac devices and diagnostic studies. This need has created a new market for ECG Technicians to monitor permanent and temporary devices provided to patients for treatment or diagnostic study. Device companies do not have enough trained technicians to monitor these devices, and hospitals and outpatient clinics are also needing trained technicians to complete the various diagnostic studies. Student and graduates can also qualify to apply to the Cardiovascular Ultrasound and ECHO program at CCSF as additional training.

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Apply clinical knowledge necessary to fulfill the role of an entry-level ECG Technician and Phlebotomy Technician.
• Perform clinical tasks on ECG machines, Holter monitor systems, and exercise stress test equipment.
• Communicate and interact with patients and members of the healthcare team according to employer expectations and standards of the healthcare profession.
• Compare the various national registry examinations for Electrocardiography and Phlebotomy Technician.

While students have some choice in how to fulfill their General Education and graduation requirements, the Electrocardiography Technician Program recommends the following course work be completed in the first year: ENGL 1A or ENGL 1A+1AS and MATH 60.  It is also suggested that ASAM 20 or LALS 1 or AFAM 60 or HIST 12B are taken prior to degree completion.

Courses Required for the Major in Electrocardiography Technician AS

Course	Units
First Semester
ECGT 101 - ECG Technician I	4.00
HIT 50A - Medical Terminology I	3.00
BIO 106 - Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology	4.00
EMT 14 - Advanced First Aid and Basic Life Support	3.00
Total:	14.00
Second Semester
ECGT 102 - ECG Technician II	4.00
HCT 67 - Computer Applications in the Health Care Setting	2.00
HIT 50B - Medical Terminology II	2.00
HIT 57 - Disease Process	3.00
MED 62 - Communication and Professionalism in Health Care	2.00
Total:	13.00
Third Semester
ECGT 103A - Electrocardiography Professional Experience	1.00
ECGT 103B - Electrocardiography Professional Practice	3.00
HIT 75 - Organization and Management in Health	3.00
HLTH 10 - Health and Aging	3.00
MED 55 - The Electronic Health Record	3.00
Total:	13.00
Fourth Semester
PSYC 1 - General Psychology	3.00
HCT 104 - Phlebotomy Technician	5.50
Total:	8.50
Total:	48.50

Most of the units for this degree program will transfer to a CSU. The GE requirements of English, Math, Psychology, and suggested history, communication, and biology classes should meet the CSU requirements. Many of the other courses will transfer as elective science units to a CSU.

San Francisco State University, Bay Area Medical Academy, Cal State East Bay, Contra Costa Medical Career College, and several online and private programs Our search for Bay Area programs indicated that they were all certificate programs. We believe this Associate in Science degree program is new.