SCST Courses

SCST Foundation in Essential ECG Interpretation: Birmingham & Belfast, Sept 2024

Back by popular demand – Face to face course delivery from either Birmingham or Belfast.
Popular, nationally recognised and accredited course in ECG interpretation for healthcare professionals who work in acute medicine.

It is suitable for:

• Junior doctors and nurses working in acute medicine, intensive care and emergency care
• Cardiographers, senior cardiographers and associate practitioners in Cardiology
• Ambulance paramedics
• Respiratory physiologists or Medical Physics technologists who supervise patients undergoing CPET or MPS

The course focuses on conditions and ECG patterns likely to be encountered in secondary rather than primary care. The aim is to teach practitioners to identify ECG features that have implications for immediate management and urgent referral.

“Clear impact for me on patient care. The best ECG training I’ve had!” – Urgent Care GP

“Very interesting and exceptionally useful. I am more confident in looking at ECGs and feel more able to highlight my concerns to medical staff to ensure improving outcomes for my patients” – Registered Nurse, AMU.

“A thoroughly enjoyable course which is highly recommended to anyone involved with ECGs” – Paramedic

“Much more confident in diagnosing now. It’s a long time since I’ve enjoyed a training event so much. Thank you!” – Urgent Care Practitioner.

“Thank you for the thoroughly enjoyable course. I feel I have learnt a lot” – Cardiographer

“Thank you very much indeed for the wonderful foundation ECG course – I feel SO much more confident with ECG interpretation now but also realise how much I need to learn! It has been invaluable for me. Everything was explained so well, too.” – GP

Course structure

The 2-day course will start with basic ECG theory and terminology and go on to define the normal ECG. Teaching will proceed by clinical category, such as tachyarrhythmias, bradyarrhythmias, chest pain syndromes, drug and electrolyte effects, sudden cardiac death/syncope syndromes. Learning will progress by integrating ECG features and clinical presentations in a structured approach to differential diagnosis.

Teaching will finish with discussions of a range of clinical scenarios illustrating many of the abnormal ECG patterns covered.

The complete teaching package will comprise:

• Pre-course reading on ECG theory
• 2 days’ teaching in a face to face classroom environment
• Copy of all teaching slides
• Workbook of classroom exercises
• Lunch and refreshments are provided over the 2 day course
• Class size is limited to allow individualised support and feedback.

Course Content

• Basic ECG theory
• The normal ECG, including normal variants
• Recognising normal QRS axis, left axis deviation, right axis deviation and extreme axis
• Tachyarrhythmias:
• Bradyarrhythmias and conduction disturbances
• Myocardial ischaemia and infarction
• Pulmonary embolism
• Pericarditis and myocarditis
• Left and right ventricular hypertrophy
• Left and right atrial abnormalities
• Hyperkalaemia and hypokalaemia
• Hyperventilation
• Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
• ECG effects of drug therapy and toxicity
• Simple pacing
• Sudden cardiac death syndromes
• Error and artefact

Course Cost

The cost of the two-day, face to face course is £395 which includes lunch and refreshments on both days. Please note this course is not online and will be delivered as a face-to-face course only.

Important payment information – FULL PAYMENT IS REQUIRED AT THE TIME OF BOOKING. We are unable to issue invoices to employers. Please see ticket information for further details.

Refund Policy – please note that refunds cannot be given for cancellations made within 14 days of the course start date. Cancellations made 14 days or more before the start date will incur a cancellation charge of £100. If you wish to cancel a booking please contact media@scst.org.uk directly.

Further information

A multiple choice examination will be available (at additional charge) to assess competence in ECG interpretation at the level described. Success in the exam will lead to the awarding of the SCST Foundation in Essential ECG Interpretation.

FAQs

Do I need any prior ECG knowledge?

Some prior knowledge and experience of ECGs would be advantageous but is not essential; you will receive pre-course reading material on ECG theory and the course starts by covering all the fundamentals.