Is it really necessary to learn to read an ekg? anyone really use it?

[northmississippi]

Do any of you actually know how to read and use the telemetry monitor when it comes to watching the heart beat pattern (p wave, etc). Would it be worth my time to spend the summer learning to really read one? Thanks.

[tcvnurse, BSN, RN]

YES. If you work on a tele floor, it is absolutely important to know your rhythms. I work in cardiothoracic stepdown and we are expected to pull and read strips on all patients.You pull them first thing in the morning so you can know if the rhythm changes throughout the day.

If a patient appears to have a change in rhythm, we are responsible for obtaining a 12 lead. Knowing basic 12 lead interpretation is the difference between calling a doc saying, "Hey Mr Jones has ST elevation in the inferior leads, do you want any bloodwork" and understanding what is happening with the patient that moment and having the monitor tech just leave the EKG printout in the doorchart and the doc will look at it sometime later.

[fermium]

The funny thing is that the amount of formal ECG training I received in medical school wasn't actually that much more than what I received in nursing school. The main difference is that I read a lot more ECGs as a medical student (and even more now as an ED resident) than when I was practicing nursing. It really is one of those skills that you rapidly forget if you don't use it. Case in point: I showed a trace to my friend who is a PGY4 radiology resident and he had no idea what the trace was.

As a RN, while you do not necessarily need to know the trace is a multifocal atrial tachycardia with posterior hemiblock, you would be extremely useful if you are able to pick up simple abnormalities, such as basic arrhythmias, ST segment/TW changes, and QT changes.

[Racer15, BSN, RN]

Heck yes it is. I work in the ER, I don't dx my patients, but I sure as heck need to be able to recognize significant arrhythmias so that I can notify the MD that this patient needs to be seen NOW. There are no disadvantages to learning EKG rhythms.

[FuturePsychNP]

EKG competency takes time to master. And nsg school class time is at a premium - too limited to spend the extended time needed for just EKGs.

This is true. Nursing school teaches a lot of useless stuff we never use on the job. Revamp the curriculum!

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I fail to understand why more emphasis is not put on EKG in nursing schools. It seems that is mostly taught on the job or through CE classes. I've seen community health RNs who didn't even know how to hook up their 12 lead and hospital nurses who were notorious for hitting print and then taking the strip to another nurse to read.

You would be surprised! My last semester advanced med surg class had ECGs on every test. I consider myself very proficient at just reading a basic rhythm strip. One of the assignments I had included a paper with more than 50 strips where we had to measure the PR interval, QRS interval, etc., identify the rhythm, and interpret the rhythm's significance for the patient. Don't knock all nursing schools; some are awesome. :)

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

You would be surprised! My last semester advanced med surg class had ECGs on every test. I consider myself very proficient at just reading a basic rhythm strip. One of the assignments I had included a paper with more than 50 strips where we had to measure the PR interval, QRS interval, etc., identify the rhythm, and interpret the rhythm's significance for the patient. Don't knock all nursing schools; some are awesome. :)

Good for you and your school! :)

[LemonIndiscretion]

My school was also in support of us reading strips, or at least being able to recognize the biggies! Besides on exams I had a clinical instructor in med/surg 1 who would pop quiz us on the spot with asking us what was off on an ECG strip, and she would quickly draw dysrhythmias and we would have to name them off quickly while we were on the hospital floors to keep us on our toes! She was great at her job and I appreciate professors like her!!!

[carsm3]

In my ICU nurses analyze a print out every 4 hours and must sign off and date it. Every hour if the patient is going sour.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

All nurses in our hospital have to be able to read strips, especially in areas that recover any patients from OR. We have to run x amount of strips during the recovery.