EKG arrhythmia recognition: a third-year clerkship teaching experience.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

This report describes a curricular experience designed to improve EKG arrhythmia recognition skills in third-year medical students in a required family medicine clerkship.

INTERVENTION

An innovative 1-hour seminar that teaches a systematic approach to EKG arrhythmia recognition was added to the family medicine clerkship. Students were tested on ability to identify arrhythmias at the end of the clerkship. Scores were compared between the intervention group and a control group consisting of students in the year before the seminar was added.

RESULTS

Students who received the didactic session recognized more arrhythmias correctly.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic approach to arrhythmia recognition improves the ability of third-year medical students to interpret EKGs.