Introduction to EKGs for Physician Assistants

Intro to Electrocardiograms for Physician Assistants

Updated: 07/08/2016

Electrocardiocardiograms can be difficult to tackle and I know that this is a topic that I repeatedly visit, both for simple things like delineating PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) from PACs (premature atrial contractions) and denoting what defines a second degree type 1 versus a second degree type 2 heart block. But there’s so much more than just that - there’s right and left bundle branch blocks, right and left ventricular hypertrophy, ischemia, infarction, axis deviation, atrial hypertrophy, etc. While this is a very limited approach to EKGs and while there is still much to learn about them, this is a great introduction to EKGs for any student, whether you are pre-med, pre-PA, pre-NP, pre-nursing, or pre any other health profession. At the end of the review are a few helpful questions provided by TrueLearn you can use after you’ve studied the review, which offer you some insight into the type of questions and degree of exam preparation offered. I hope that you find them as useful as I have. Good luck and let me know if there are any errors or questions!

Electrocardiogram (ECG): records the electrical activity of the heart and information about the heart’s function and structure

Practicing EKGs for Physician Assistants

Practicing EKGs for Physician Assistants

I get a lot of requests about EKG/ECG courses in preparation for PA school or the PANCE and numerous people searching for EKG courses are re-routed to my blog, so I put a list of them together for your convenience. I hope that pre-PA students, PA-S, and PA-C are all able to utilize these resources and find one convenient, affordable, and suitable to their situation. I’ve tried to list costs and details about some of them, but they’re all very different and some of them are so new they don’t have reviews yet. They range from basic to intermediate and advanced ECG interpretation. Later, I talk about in-person courses and even free resources. There are also books that you can purchase to help you study, which is how I studied EKGs and I found it most helpful to practice strips - lots and lots of them. If you’re feeling ambitious or you work in cardiology, you might consider becoming certified in EKGs, and I provide information about that below as well. Good luck in your studies to becoming a better PA and understanding these rhythms!