Cardiologist
Cardiologists are Internists who specialise in the diagnosis and and treatment of disorders of the heart and circulatory system. The speciality includes the management of congenital heart disease, coronary artery disease, valvular disease, cardiac failure and cardiac arrhythmias.
Cardiologist Subspecialist Fields
Cardiologists may work in general non – interventional roles treating a wide variety of conditions medically or they may undertake further training in specialised fields which are:
Cardiac Electrophysiology: the study of the electrical activity of the heart and diagnosis and management of its disorders.
Echocardiology: the use of ultrasound to diagnose and manage structural and functional cardiac disorders. The cardiologist uses two and three-dimensional ultrasound and doppler ultrasound to assess the cardiac status.
Interventional Cardiology: the use of interventional procedures using catheters and stents to treat disorders of the coronary arteries and valves of the heart.
Cardiologist Roles
The common incidence of cardiac disorders combined with their good prospects for successful treatment, make cardiologists highly sought after in most areas of the world in both generalist and specialised roles.
In more remote areas and district general hospitals, a combination of internal medicine and cardiology skills are often sought in a role which combines acute internal medicine with general non – interventional cardiology in a secondary care setting.
In advanced diagnostic centres and tertiary care hospitals, more specialised practice of cardiology is sought and most roles will require specialist skills in interventional cardiology, electrophysiology or echocardiography.
Cardiologist Candidates
Our cardiologist candidates are highly trained in some of the world famous institutions. After the completion of residency in internal medicine, they embark upon further training in cardiology and attain dual certification in both internal medicine and cardiology. Many of our candidates have received further training in interventional cardiology or the non interventional fields of electrophysiology and echocardiography.
Many candidates have experience of setting up specialist cardiology services and cath labs and training more junior medical staff.
Cardiologist candidates will generally hold the following postgraduate qualifications: American Board of Cardiology, FRCPC, FRCP and CCT, FRACP, FCP (SA), Fachartz, DES and equivalents from other developed nations.
Useful Links
American Board of Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Board
Cardiology Training In United Kingdom
The Royal College of Physicians Training Programme in Cardiology