Monitor Surveillance Technician

What does a Monitor Surveillance Technician do?

Monitor surveillance technicians carefully observe monitors that graphically record the electrical activity of each heartbeat. They interpret these rhythms and report results to physicians and/or nurses.

What might a Monitor Surveillance Technician do in a workday?

Monitor surveillance technicians:

• obtain patient information for the telemetry records, such as heart rhythm history.
• observe the monitor screen, which displays up to 24 patients’ heart rhythms.
• interpret heart rhythms and identify abnormalities.
• post representations and interpretations of heart rhythms.
• recognize changes in heart rhythms and relay the information to a nurse or physician.
• operate the patient-monitoring computer.
• clean and maintain the telemetry battery packs and wiring.

Monitor surveillance technicians work in hospitals where large numbers of patients are connected to telemetry monitors.

How much salary do Monitor Surveillance Technicians make?

Annual Mean Wage
$38,000 (provided by Sentara College of Health Sciences)

How do I become a Monitor Surveillance Technician?

Students interested in this career should prepare early by taking math, science and computer technology courses in high school.

The minimum educational requirement for monitor surveillance technicians is high school graduation (or GED), in addition to a three-month training program.