For interns, residents, cardiology doctors or patients, having easy access to information about the field and its doctors is imperative. From directing your patients to an informative site, to looking up a condition you've never seen before, to finding a job or heading to a conference, you can find most any site that you need to fit your cardiologic medicine information need.

Cardiac services are complicated, and technology and resources are changing on a daily basis. New equipment is introduced, new techniques are to be learned. Stay on top of your cardiologist game by knowing where to find the right resources at the right time.

When looking for information on cardiology:

1. Determine if you are seeking information for yourself or a patient. Sending your patients to comprehensive sites geared towards laypeople are more appropriate than sending them to specialty journals.

2. Ask yourself if you are looking to improve yourself by higher education, seminars, conferences or fellowships.

3. Determine if you are needing patient specific information that you have not seen before on a case.

4. Figure out the region or state you are interested in before starting your adult or pediatric cardiology search.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Have general cardiology resources on hand both for your purposes and to refer to patients

Use general cardiology sites both for your point of reference, but also to direct those under your care to. Informed patients make better patients because giving them any higher level of understanding than what they had before will help give them strength over their fears.

I recommend: Find cardiology articles from WebMD. Find definitions and illustrations from Cardiology As Explained by Robert Matthews M.D. Look for recent cardiology papers from Cardiology.org. Take a look at the HHMI Virtual Cardiology Lab.

Join a cardiology association or group for further cardiologist info

Consider joining a cardiology association to improve your career path.

I recommend: Join the American College of Cardiology and enjoy membership and volunteer opportunities. There you can find a job, find educational opportunities or advance your career. Consider joining the Association of Black Cardiologists. They offer community programs and continuing education. For the nurses in the field, there are organizations like the Northeast Pediatric Cardiology Nurses Association, or statewide organizations like the Pediatric Cardiology Associates of New Mexico.

Stay informed as to the latest in cardiologic medicine through cardiology journals

Take advantage of online and print cardiology journals to stay up to date on the latest and greatest of techniques and equipment.

I recommend: Check out the watch topics from Journal Watch. Read up at Cardiology Today. Try out the online version of the Heart Failure Reviews. Look at the current issue of the American Heart Journal.

Find and apply for cardiology jobs

Use industry specific search engines to find cardiology jobs.

I recommend: Check out the fellowship program at the Division of Cardiology of the Columbia University Medical Center. Search for a cardiology job by state at CardioWorking. Royal Oak Cardiology Group is an expert cardiology staffing service. Search for cardiology jobs by region through Cardiology Positions.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  For any student or intern studying cardiologic medicine, find a mentor to look up to and learn from. And experienced cardiologists should look to take on a few promising students under their wing to make a difference in their lives and have an attentive assistant to match.