Take a class, so many cool online ones. Learn the basics for each type, block, and treatments. Do not depend on a machine to identify a rhythm, know yours.
1. Standard counting method determining the heart rate
2. Identify the presence or absence of P , QRS, T - wave.
3. Identify the relative position of P, QRS, T to each other.
4. Know your American Heart Association ACLS
Basic Rhythms (and Algorithms to act accordingly to them).
5. Know the most essential doses and dosing of digoxin, atropine, adenosine , epinephrine, amiodarone , dopamine, dobutamine, labetalol,
Diltiazem. ( and antidotes)
Read Rapid Interpretation of EKG’s by Dale Duben, MD. This little orange book is AMAZING.
I think it is important to come up with your own technique for understanding; like in images. For example, Ventricular Tachycardia looks like an attack of sharks on an ocean...therefore, it can be recalled by thinking of "v-tach of the sharks," or "the attack of the sharks."
Sit at a monitor with a good tech and learn by looking at real rhythms. Sit for an hour before of after work. You will learn lots!
Talk to your tele techs. They spend all day looking at your strips. Find the ones you can trust and trust them.
Have strong mentors and good hard copy resources. Practice it a lot and it won’t take long before you catch on.
No short cut. One must study to know the normal rhythms and abnormal rhythms, their characteristics and interventions. Study the heart blocks and know their characteristics and interventions. Most units have Tele techs who are also very knowledgeable. If not sure do not feel shy ask charge nurse or any nurse, call the Doctor.
Most hospitals have ekg class every month or inservice
Practice practice practice!
Study study study and take classes in edu dept at hospital
Practice practice practice!!
Set up classes through your education department,also anesthesia is available for teaching and so is the ACLS coordinator
Remember to examine your patient confirm pulse and that they are not symptomatic before you rush for the phone . The strips only warn you to diagnose you need a twelve lead so don’t waste your time just reading the machine.
