Cardiac Specialist Program
Tuition:
$29,500
Duration:
6 months
Dates:
Fall – August 7, 2023
Spring – February 5, 2024
Location:
400 Executive Center Drive, Suite 116
Greenville, SC 29615
Course Description
The objective of this program is to train professionals in the fields of Cardiac Device Technology and Cardiac Electrophysiology. The cardiac device technologies include pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices and implantable loop recorders. The cardiac electrophysiology portion of the training includes: clinical electrophysiology, ablation and mapping. The academic year program consists of 6 months (>1,000 hours) of didactic preparation interspersed with clinical practice and hands-on skills laboratories. Upon completion of the school program, the students will be able to operate device follow-up programmers and perform other duties associated with cardiac devices and cardiac electrophysiology procedures. Industrial occupations such as clinical specialists, sales representatives, education specialists, tachycardia field engineers or field clinical engineers would be within the expertise of the students.
Additional Information
Tuition includes books and materials. A $1,000 deposit is due upon mutual acceptance and the remaining balance of $28,500 is due 90 days before the start of the program.
Living expenses are not included in the tuition and are the responsibility of the student. Financial aid is not available through ATI and the school does not qualify for traditional student grants, loans or the GI Bill. Clinical training is required and will take place off-site away from the main campus at several other facilities. Therefore, a motorized means of transportation will be required, and there will be additional personal costs related to traveling (e.g., fuel costs, car maintenance, insurance, etc.) to these clinical sites for training.
There may also be seminars or meetings dealing with cardiac device technology, which the student may wish to attend outside of the school. The student must pay these costs, however, these extracurricular activities are not required as part of the program.
Financing Available Through Meritize Financial
ATI is excited to partner with Meritize Financial to offer student loans that give borrowers financial credit for their academic success. Students are able to finance the full cost of attendance including living expenses. [Learn More]
ATI is now offering two graduating classes annually:
Spring Session
Online Training Begins: 1st Monday in February
Onsite Classes Begin: 1st Monday in March
Graduation Date: Last Friday in July
Fall Session
Online Training Begins: 1st Monday in August
Onsite Classes Begin: Tuesday After Labor Day
Graduation Date: 3rd Friday in February
The school makes no claim or guarantee that credit earned from this program will transfer to any other program or institution.
View ATI Catalog for more details.
Admission Requirements
ATI admission requirements for the Cardiac Specialist Program are as follows:
- The number of qualified students to be accepted into the school will be determined annually by the Board of Directors.
- To be qualified, students must be a US citizen and must hold a baccalaureate degree.
- The school may refuse admission to any student who does not meet all of the below requirements. The school reserves the right to choose among qualified applicants.
Students will be accepted by the school only after the following have been evaluated as satisfactory:
-
-
-
- Application
- Current curriculum vitae or resume
- Official college transcripts
- Essay (1 to 2 pages and should focus on why the applicant is interested in entering into the CRM/EP industry)
- Two letters of reference (professional individuals)
- A criminal background check/motor vehicle report (Must be ordered through SR&I. To begin, click on “student”; choose “Arrhythmia Technologies Institute” under the School Name dropdown; and “CRM” under the Academic Program drop down.)
- A casual photo of yourself
- An introductory video (3 to 4 minute personal introduction giving a glimpse into your childhood, family, pets, friends, etc. Be creative! Please set permission for public viewing.) For compatibility, please make sure your video is saved in the MP4 format. If you did not record in this format, you can use a free online tool such as the Adobe Express video converter – https://www.adobe.com/express/
feature/video/convert/mp4 - The student must also interview with a school official coinciding with an on-site visit of the school facilities. Virtual interviews are not preferred but are possible for distant applicants when necessary. Applications are accepted all year, however classes tend to fill up about 5 months in advance, so apply today.
-
-
Overview
What is Cardiac Electrophysiology?
Cardiac electrophysiology (EP) is the science of diagnosing and treating the electrical activities of the heart. EP studies involve invasive (intracardiac) catheter recording of spontaneous activity as well as of cardiac responses to programmed electrical stimulation (PES). These studies are performed to assess complex arrhythmias, evaluate abnormal electrocardiograms, assess risk of developing arrhythmias in the future, and design treatment. Often the studies involve sophisticated 3-D mapping to define arrhythmia pathways. These procedures increasingly include therapeutic methods (typically radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation) to treat atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia or other arrhythmias. Other therapeutic modalities employed in this field include antiarrhythmic drug therapy and implantation of artificial pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (CD).
The cardiac electrophysiology study (EPS) typically measures the response of the injured or cardiomyopathic myocardium to PES on specific pharmacological regimens in order to assess the likelihood that the regimen will successfully prevent potentially fatal sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) in the future. Sometimes a series of EPS drug trials must be conducted to enable the cardiologist to select the one regimen for long-term treatment that best prevents or slows the development of VT or VF following PES. Such studies may also be conducted in the presence of a newly implanted or newly replaced cardiac pacemaker or AICD.
A specialist in cardiac electrophysiology is known as a cardiac electrophysiologist or (more commonly) simply an electro-physiologist. Cardiac electrophysiology is considered a subspecialty of cardiology in most countries. In early 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) promoted cardiac electrophysiology to its own specialty category in the United States. Cardiac electro-physiologists are trained to perform interventional cardiac electrophysiology studies (EPS) as well as surgical device implantations.
The Heart Rhythm Society, founded in 1979, promotes education and advocacy for cardiac arrhythmia professionals (including cardiac electro-physiologists) and patients. It is the largest society in the field.
What is Cardiac Rhythm Management?
Arrhythmia Technologies Institute is the pioneer of formalized Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) education. CRM is the science of treating abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure with electrical stimulation therapy to save and improve quality of life for patients. CRM is a dynamic industry with rapid technology introductions and advances in clinical science. ATI provides students with a comprehensive training to be successful in the ever-evolving world of CRM.
Careers
If you find a Medical Device Career fascinating then you will want to take a closer look at ATI to start your career.
ATI offers the opportunity to get into the Medical Device Career space with a great understanding of Pacemakers and ICDs as well as Electrophysiology and Ablations.
Those in a Medical Device Career have the opportunity to serve as a primary resource for clinical and sales support. They will also educate customers on products by giving presentations and demonstrating product use. They will perform clinical research and participate in case reviews and clinical observation by working with physicians and hospital lab staff. They will also attend and participate in cardiac device implants in labs and operating rooms.
A career in Medical Devices will allow you the opportunity to develop relationships with hospital personnel and physicians to collaboratively work together to offer the best care for the patients.
What Is ATI Looking For?
Good Communication Skills
Hard Worker
Passion For the Profession and a Desire to Positively Influence Patients' Lives
Team Player
Three Most Common Jobs

Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Technical Sales Support Representative
Each manufacturer (Biosense Webster, Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, Boston Scientific, Biotronik, Sorin) has its own title for this position: clinical specialist (CS), field clinical rep (FCR), technical sales support (TSS), etc. The job entails a bit of everything in support of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED): implants, device follow-up and troubleshooting, patient care, staff training and education, being part of a team and doing whatever it takes to support the manufacturer’s products in the field. There is a need to be extremely flexible as the schedule can change from moment to moment.

Electrophysiology Technical Sales Support Representative
This position involves working for an electrophysiology company in the field, i.e., Biosense Webster, supporting cases that involve cardiac mapping and ablation. This position tends to be more scheduled and predictable than the CRM role. A lot of growth is occurring in this field, due in part to the advances in the occurrence and treatment of atrial fibrillation. Estimates are that as much as 25% of the population will experience this arrhythmia.

Device Clinician Position
This career path entails checking and managing patients who have CIED’s. These devices include: pacemakers, defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization devices and implantable loop recorders. This position is usually a Monday-Friday office job located in a cardiology or electrophysiology group’s office or a hospital.
Job Placement Success
%
Industry-Leading Job Placement
ATI’s job placement rate has been greater than 95% for over 30 years. ATI has relationships with many cardiac device/EP companies that we host on-campus for opportunities to discuss their companies and career opportunities with the students. They are also provided opportunities to interface with our students in a group or one-on-one venue; taking advantage of our multiple interviewing rooms. ATI does not charge a placement fee and does everything we can to help facilitate the hiring process for both student and potential employer. Students are best served if they have some geographic flexibility. Students attend ATI from and are placed in jobs all over the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. A number of students have also taken positions Internationally. ATI has trained over 500 people in the Cardiac Specialist Course and thousands in short custom courses and review courses for the IBHRE certification exam.

Educating Students in CRM and EP
Phone:
864-297-9232
Fax:
864-297-9250
Email:
office@pacerschool.org
Address:
400 Executive Center Drive, Suite 116
Greenville, SC 29615