[jessie]

help looking for an easy teaching method for reading EKG's. THanks in advance.

[CATHYW]

Try:
www-medlib.med.utah.edu/kw/ecg/index.html

This is the AlanE. Lindsay "ECG Learning Center." I found it very impressive. It even has self tests.

[hoolahan]

I like Dale Dubin's book. It is also laid out like a self-learning packey w great visuals.

As far as easy teaching, focus on teaching the concepts. Babara Drew wrote some excellent articles in older critical care nurse mag about proper lead placements, and understanding electrical flow as it is reflected on the 12-lead and tele ekg. Eg. I had one director who taught the 12 lead ekg class, and she spent a lot of time teaching nurses to calculate the axis deviations. Frankly, why bother doing this when all the new machines do it for you. Isn't it more improtant to unstand the concept of elec flow and what a LAD means as opposed to being able to calculate one??

Good luck!

[mattcastens]

In my classes I recommend two books:

Rapid Interpretation of EKGs, by Dale Dubin. This orange book has been the gold standard basic ECG book for thirty years now. It's in its gazillionth printing and not a word has changed. Although it's written at about the fifth-grade level, a fifth-grader could probably interpret strips after reading the book.

The other book I recommend is ECG Interpretation made Incredibly Easy. I can't find it right now, so I can't tell you who wrote it, but it's in the line of Incredibly Easy books. (Duh!) Very easy and quick to read, it had self quizzes at the end of each chapter. It is also a bit more up-to-date and covers things such as pacer strips and diagnosing MIs from 12-leads.

Both are very good for self learning.