How Much Money Do Monitoring Technicians Make?

Cardiology technicians monitor patients' heart beats.

The term "monitoring technician" generally refers to cardiology technicians, an allied health career in which employees conduct cardiovascular tests and monitor patients' heart rates. However, many other occupations can also use the term as well, including air quality monitoring technicians and nuclear monitoring technicians. As in the case of the latter two positions, cardiology technicians usually only have to have an Associate's degree to get a job.

Salary

The average annual salary of a cardiology technician was $50,720, or $24.38 per hour, as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lower 25th percentile earned up to $34,750 per year, or $16.70 per hour. The middle 50 percent earned between $34,751 and $64,190 per year, or $30.86 per hour. The highest 25 percent earned more than $64,191 per year.

Education

Those who are already allied health professionals may be able to only complete one year of instruction to qualify for cardiology technician positions. To earn more money, some technicians may complete a four-year course. Although few four-year programs are available as of August 2011, more are starting up. Completing a Bachelor's degree program may help them advance to supervisory or technologist positions. Shorter-term certification programs are also available from institutions such as the Cardiotech Ultrasound School (cardiotech.org) and the Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org). Some monitoring technicians may earn more money by becoming professionally certified by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ardms.org) and Cardiovascular Credentialing International (cci-online.org).

Salary by Education Level

Cardiology monitoring technicians with a high school diploma and a certificate earned an average annual salary of $64,798, according to a 2010 survey from the American Society of Radiologic Technicians. Those with an Associate's degree averaged $64,053 per year, and those with a Bachelor's degree averaged $64,117 per year. The occupation overall had an average annual salary of $60,655.

Regions

Some areas of the country provide better opportunities for monitoring technicians than others. For example, the highest-paying state as of May 2010 was Alaska, with an average salary of $81,310 per year, or $39.09 per hour, followed by Massachusetts, at $66,900 per year, or $32.17 per hour. The third highest-paying area was the District of Columbia, with an average of $66,340 per year, or $31.89 per hour. The highest-paying metro area was Anchorage, Alaska with an average salary of $85,620 per year, or $41.16 per hour, followed by San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, at $76,280 per year, or $36.67 per hour. The third highest-paying metro area was Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Massachusetts at $74,760 per year, or $35.94 per hour.

References

• ScienceBuddies.org: Science Careers - Nuclear Monitoring Technician
• Education-Portal.com: Air Quality Monitoring Technician
• Bureau of Labor Statistics; Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians; December 2009
• Bureau of Labor Statistics; Occupational Employment and Wages -- May 2010 -- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians; May 2011
• American Society of Radiologic Technologists: Radiologic Technologist Wage and Salary Survey 2010
• Education-Portal.com: Monitor Technician Education and Training Requirements