Cardiologists
What Cardiologists Do
Diagnose, treat, manage, and prevent diseases or conditions of the cardiovascular system. May further subspecialize in interventional procedures (e.g., balloon angioplasty and stent placement), echocardiography, or electrophysiology.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
- Self-employed
- 4.7%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 5 of 5Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Job training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Watchman Monitoring
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Stress Tolerance
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Cautiousness
- Self-Control
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- InvestigativeHigh
- RealisticMedium
- SocialMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where cardiologists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Ithaca, NY10.63× national avg
- 2Champaign-Urbana, IL4.53× national avg
- 3Lexington-Fayette, KY4.37× national avg
- 4Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN4.02× national avg
- 5Roanoke, VA3.22× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Pediatric SurgeonsLateral Move
- AnesthesiologistsLateral Move
- Emergency Medicine PhysiciansLateral Move
- General Internal Medicine PhysiciansLateral Move
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Medicine
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (Erie, PA)grads earn ~$138,038
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (Blacksburg, VA)grads earn ~$153,927
- Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)grads earn ~$130,503
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Philadelphia, PA)grads earn ~$139,981
- Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, FL)