| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Clinical and Medical |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Head of Department (Clinical) |
| Direct reports | Cath Lab Technician, ECG Technician |
| Experience | 3 to 8 years after DM, with independent angioplasty experience for interventional posts |
Cardiologist job description template
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Job title: Cardiologist
Department: Clinical and Medical
Reports to: Head of Department (Clinical)
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Cardiologist diagnoses and treats heart disease in the OPD, wards, cardiac care unit and cath lab. Clinical cardiologists handle chest pain, heart failure, rhythm problems and hypertension, while interventional cardiologists also perform angiography, angioplasty and pacemaker implants. In most Indian hospitals the cardiologist is on call for heart attacks round the clock. A good cardiologist gets heart attack patients to the cath lab fast, explains procedures and costs clearly to families and keeps complication rates low.
Key responsibilities
- See patients in the cardiology OPD for chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations and hypertension, and order ECG, echo, TMT or Holter where needed.
- Perform and report transthoracic echocardiograms, and read ECG and TMT tracings sent from other departments.
- Perform coronary angiography, angioplasty with stenting and other cath lab procedures within the privileges granted by the hospital.
- Attend heart attack alerts from emergency at any hour, choose between thrombolysis and primary angioplasty, and activate the cath lab team.
- Manage cardiac care unit patients with heart failure, cardiogenic shock or arrhythmias through daily rounds and family updates.
- Implant temporary and permanent pacemakers, and refer complex rhythm cases for electrophysiology study or device therapy.
- Explain the procedure, risks, stent options and package costs to the patient and family, and record informed consent.
- Give cardiac risk opinions for patients due for non-cardiac surgery, with clear advice on blood thinners and other medicines.
- Run follow-up clinics for post-angioplasty and heart failure patients, covering medicines, lifestyle and warning signs.
- Take part in cath lab audits, complication reviews and preventive heart check camps run by the hospital.
Requirements
- DM or DrNB in Cardiology after MD in General Medicine or Paediatrics
- Valid registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council
- Fellowship in interventional cardiology or electrophysiology is an advantage
- 3 to 8 years after DM, with independent angioplasty experience for interventional posts
KRAs and KPIs for a Cardiologist
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Heart attack response | Door-to-balloon time within 90 minutes for at least 90 percent of primary angioplasty cases |
| Procedure outcomes | Major cath lab complications reviewed case by case and kept within the department target each quarter |
| Diagnostic turnaround | Inpatient echo reports issued within 4 hours of request on working days |
| Pre-operative opinions | Cardiac risk opinions given within 12 hours for 95 percent of surgical referrals |
| Consent and records | Informed consent and procedure notes complete in 100 percent of audited cath lab cases |
| Patient follow-up | At least 80 percent of post-angioplasty patients seen in follow-up within 30 days |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Cath lab with fluoroscopy, Echocardiography machine, ECG machine, TMT system, Holter monitor, Intra-aortic balloon pump, Defibrillator.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Head of Department (Clinical), Clinical Director
Interview questions for a Cardiologist
- A 45-year-old arrives 3 hours after chest pain with ST elevation, and the cath lab team is 40 minutes away. What do you do?
- How do you explain the choice between stenting and bypass surgery to a family worried about cost?
- Tell me about a cath lab complication you managed and what you learned from it.
- When would you give a cardiac opinion allowing surgery despite an abnormal ECG?
- How do you manage a heart failure patient who keeps getting readmitted every month?
- How many angioplasties have you done independently, and which were the hardest?
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Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What does a cardiologist do?
A cardiologist diagnoses and treats diseases of the heart and blood vessels, such as heart attacks, heart failure, rhythm problems and high blood pressure. They order and read ECG, echo and stress tests and prescribe treatment, and interventional cardiologists also perform angiography, angioplasty and pacemaker implants in the cath lab.
What is the difference between a cardiologist and a cardiothoracic surgeon?
A cardiologist treats heart disease with medicines and catheter procedures such as angioplasty, without opening the chest. A cardiothoracic surgeon operates on the heart, lungs and major vessels, for example bypass surgery and valve replacement. The two decide together when a patient could have either angioplasty or bypass.
What qualification is needed to become a cardiologist in India?
You need an MBBS, then an MD in General Medicine or Paediatrics, then a DM or DrNB in Cardiology, which takes about three years. Interventional work needs further hands-on cath lab experience, and some cardiologists add fellowships in electrophysiology or structural heart procedures.