EKG Rhythms in Nursing School

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · May 20, 2016

Learning EKG rhythms was challenging for me. Different schools have different expectations.

I used the app for rhythms through NCLEX mastery, as well as my schools materials to design flash cards and understand the reasons for and treatments for various rhythms.

EKG rhythms weren't easy. But I studied a ton! You can do it!!!

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · May 20, 2016

Yeah, we only got the basics on ECG in nursing school. NSR, ST, AFib, AFlutter, VTach, VFib, Asystole, SVT, BBB, PVCs, pacer rhythms, etc. It was the one thing I wish they would have started covering earlier in the curriculum and for a longer period of time. We basically had 2 hours of a 4 hour lecture devoted to ECG rhythms. It was mostly learn-on-your-own and handouts to practice interpreting.

It wasn't until I was working at the hospital that I got some in-depth ECG training. I'll be taking ACLS in a few weeks and I feel more prepared now that I've had some time on the job reading tele strips and had more training than what we learned in school.

I really think nursing school could serve their students well by introducing ECG concepts as early as first level med-surg (e.g. conduction and what PR, QRS, ST, etc. means) and then keep building on those concepts all the way through the program.

mrsboots87 · May 20, 2016

I really think nursing school could serve their students well by introducing ECG concepts as early as first level med-surg (e.g. conduction and what PR, QRS, ST, etc. means) and then keep building on those concepts all the way through the program.

I agree with this because it is what my school did and it was great. I didn't find the rhythm lectures in block 4 to be that difficult. It was bundled in with hemodynamic monitoring and vents.

My program introduced the basic concepts of heart conduction and rhythm in block 2 with med/surg 1. We learned the basics to what the p wave was and what a tented T means and what each part of the wave was. Then we had it brought up again a little in 3. Then in 4 we had the actual teaching of what each of the boxes on the strip means and the correct timing of each wave and the various common rhythms. It did make it less difficult to learn.

johndough · May 20, 2016

Thanks! Good to know someone feel what I am feeling. Our school did lecture it but they made it appear necessary and valuable but we didn't really get to immerse ourselves in learning it. I am taking the ACLS soon and I feel like I will make a fool of myself when I am at a lost at reading rhythms. Oh well

umbdude, MSN, APRN · May 20, 2016

Nursing school doesn't go in depth with EKG. We covered the basic strips but never went in depth on why they look the way they do. The book went into more (e.g. 1st-3rd degree heart blocks, STEMI) but on the tests the tracings were all basic. I bought the Thaler EKG book on my own to read before the semester started because I was fascinated by it and I hate not knowing how to interpret graphs. I strongly recommend this book if you're thinking about going into CCU or some sort of acute care floor.

barcode120x, RN, NP · May 20, 2016

Text book EKGs will ALWAYS be easier than actual EKGs that's for sure. EKGs that I learned both in school and during my orientation education class were straight forward. My school didn't go into detail, but taught/tested about all the basic EKG's and it was basically straight memorization that you could easily do with flash cards. There are some smexy apps out there on the phone but I never needed to use it

mrsboots87 · May 21, 2016

For the last two posters, that is actually quite a shame, but maybe good for an easier grade in that section.

In my program we had to know the normal interval for each wave and the interval for waves in abnormal rhythms. We would be tested on both visuals as well as written descriptions of key wave points. We learned STEMI/NSTEMI, all the basic one listed here, various blocks, and more. I want to say it was somewhere along the lines of 25-30 rhythms. And that's not even all of the heart rhythms recognized in practice. We would print strips in clinical to pass around and try to figure out what rhythm the patient were in and our instructor would have copies of actual patient rhythms made into worksheets for us to practice.

Do do I know them all now? Haha. No. But it does make me more confident that if I get a job in the future that requires advanced tele/EKG knowledge, it would probably be a little easier to learn.

Ladyscrubs · May 21, 2016

This might help... Free ECG Simulator! - SkillSTAT

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · May 21, 2016

EKGs aren't really required for all nursing positions so there isn't necessarily a huge benefit spent spending weeks on the topic. If you don't use the skill, you will probably forget it. I felt prepared because I was a medic beforehand. As for ACLS, it won't really teach you rhythms. ACLS is basically a crash course what to do when your patient is coding or heart rate too fast or too slow with a touch of stroke and a touch of heart disease mixed in.

Skillstat is useful. I used the quiz and after selecting an answer, I would do a "what do I do? How to treat?" Question. It helped me for dynamic and static rhythm stations.

johndough · May 22, 2016

This might help... Free ECG Simulator! - SkillSTAT

Thanks! we actually used this for school for practice and learning