Cardiologists are doctors who are trained in diagnosing, assessing, and treating patients with disease or defects of the heart and blood vessels, such as high blood pressure, heart valve disease, arrhythmia, heart failure and more. 

While much of the emphasis is on preventing death and improving quality of life post-heart attack or disorder, cardiologists are also concerned with understanding the process of heart disease and relevant prevention strategies. Cardiology also involves palliative care at a patients end of life and collaboration with a broad range of other medicine physicians to provide comprehensive care. 

As a cardiologist, you’ll frequently perform physical examinations on patients and conduct electrocardiogram (ECG) tests, x-rays and blood tests when needed. Cardiologists also prescribe medicines and recommend lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, and stress as preventative measures.

Once training is complete, cardiologists can work in both public and private health services.

If you wish to study cardiology for adult health, you should have most of the following attributes:

• Good visuospatial reasoning
• Ability to cope with stress
• Ability to make quick decisions
• People-focused
• Compassionate & caring
• Self-motivated
• Working well within a team

You are assessed on your ability to demonstrate key knowledges, experiences, and capabilities.

The ideal applicant will be someone who can demonstrate the following:

• At least three years' recent postgraduate experience in medicine
• Experience in resuscitation
• Experience in inpatient and outpatient care in cardiology
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills which allow effective communication.
• Demonstrated knowledge of quality assurance in the area of cardiology
• Demonstrated clinical and technical expertise in cardiology
• Demonstrated a high level of skill in written and oral communication

Most people complete their cardiology adult training in one block. If you have a pause of 12 months or longer, you’ll most likely have to re-sit assessments. If you have a delay of 24 months or longer, you may have to go back and revisit old content and material.

The number of applicants selected per year varies each year. As a rough guide, 13 applicants were chosen to enter their first year of training in Queensland in 2022 from 36 eligible cardiology applicants. There were 299 specialists in Queensland in 2022, with 9 newly fellowed. There are currently 36 trainees in Queensland, and 171 in Australia.  

During advanced training, your education and research duties are as follows:

• Refine the knowledge of social and ethical behaviour required of a practitioner
• Participate in the education program for patients and their relatives
• Assist in the teaching and mentoring duties of the unit for junior medical staff, medical students, and other junior professionals
• Administration duties
• Compliance with hospital procedures and policies
• Transfer arrangements
• Management of patient records
• Economic use of human and material resources

It is not uncommon for cardiologists to work long hours; however, the frequency of being ‘on-call is not as high as other physicians. In saying this, the likelihood of being called in is still possible.

• Coronary artery disease
• Heart failure
• Arrhythmias
• Heart failure
• Generic heart disease
• Cardiomyopathies
• Valvular heart disease
• Ineffective endocarditis
• Myocarditis
• Cardiac oncology

Cardiologists deliver a mix of both invasive and non-invasive therapeutic services, including:

• Electrophysiology
• Pacing
• Echocardiography
• Exercise testing
• Heart support service (heart failure clinics, exercise training)
• Cardiac MRI and CT
• Coronary Care Unit
• 24-hour blood pressure monitoring
• Ambulatory monitoring
• Intravascular ultrasound
• Pericardiocentesis
• Loop monitoring
• Intra-aortic balloon-pump insertion
• Left and right heart catheterisation
• Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators

The Northern Queensland region offers a well-balanced mix of quality education and a relaxed or adventurous lifestyle, depending on your preference. With the convenience of cities close by, but the benefit of reasonable housing costs and vast landscapes a stone’s throw away, Northern Queensland is hard to beat. 

Our training region ensures trainees have access to a wide range of hospital and health settings of varying sizes and capabilities offering diverse case load and case mix. These training areas include the following health service areas: Cairns, Central West, Mackay, North West, Torres and Cape, and Townsville.

Networking and industry social opportunities are to be found in the tightknit hospital and health communities. Our vision is to improve the health of communities in the northern Queensland region by addressing the shortage of doctors in the area, a passion that unites the students, interns, junior doctors, and specialists training and working here. 

Each regional centre is small enough to escape the hustle and bustle of big city life, but large enough to boast a range of facilities for socialising and entertainment. You can make the most of the great outdoors through rainforest hikes, mountain biking and snorkelling or scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Living and working in Northern Queensland offers a great balance for all ages and stages, with short commute times putting more hours back into your workday, and plenty to explore on the weekends. 

References:

• https://www.nqrth.edu.au/cardiology-adult/
• https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/os-data-2/nmcjcu/listingforms/page69/cardiology.pdf
• https://medinav.health.qld.gov.au/careers/medicine/cardiology/
• https://www.racp.edu.au/trainees/advanced-training/advanced-training-programs/cardiology
• https://www.health.qld.gov.au/employment/work-for-us/clinical/medical/recruitment/training/cardiology
• https://www.racp.edu.au/docs/default-source/trainees/accredited-settings/at-cardiology-accredited-sites-aus.pdf?sfvrsn=b88f191a_40