Healthcare Cardiac Monitoring & ECG Foundations™

What you will learn

This program has four parts. By the end of each part, you should be able to:

Part 1: Introduction to Cardiac Monitoring, Electrocardiography (ECG), Cardiac Anatomy & Electrical Conduction

• Explain why cardiac monitoring and electrocardiography are essential for patient safety, diagnosis, and ongoing clinical decision-making.
• Identify major cardiac structures, coronary circulation, and the components of the heart's electrical conduction system.
• Describe depolarization, repolarization, the cardiac cycle, stroke volume, cardiac output, and the relationship between rhythm and perfusion.
• Recognize the major components of a normal ECG tracing, including the P wave, PR interval, QRS complex, ST segment, QT interval, T wave, and U wave.
• Interpret ECG paper measurements, calibration standards, and basic heart rate calculation methods used in monitored care settings.
• Connect cardiac monitoring findings with vital signs, laboratory values, pharmacology, patient symptoms, documentation, and team communication.

Part 2: ECG Waveforms, Lead Placement, Normal Sinus Rhythm & Heart Rate Interpretation

• Explain how cardiac electrical activity appears as ECG waveforms, intervals, and segments.
• Identify normal ECG components, measurements, amplitudes, and sinus rhythm criteria on rhythm strips and 12-lead tracings.
• Prepare patients, perform skin and electrode preparation, and place limb and chest leads accurately for standard and modified monitoring.
• Calculate heart rate using the six-second, 300, and small-box methods and judge rhythm regularity.
• Recognize common ECG artifacts and troubleshoot inaccurate recordings in bedside, telemetry, ambulatory, and outpatient settings.
• Communicate normal and concerning ECG findings clearly using basic documentation and SBAR language.

Part 3: Cardiac Rhythm Recognition, Dysrhythmias, Heart Blocks & Emergency ECG Findings

• Apply a systematic process to interpret cardiac rhythms and basic emergency ECG findings.
• Differentiate normal rhythms, atrial dysrhythmias, junctional rhythms, ventricular dysrhythmias, and heart blocks using ECG characteristics.
• Identify life-threatening rhythms and determine when immediate escalation or intervention is required.
• Relate rhythm findings to likely causes, patient symptoms, monitoring priorities, and potential complications.
• Document rhythm findings clearly and communicate urgent abnormalities using SBAR.
• Use rhythm comparison tools, practice strips, and clinical scenarios to strengthen recognition accuracy.

Part 4: Clinical ECG Interpretation, Cardiac Emergencies, Case Studies & Integrated Patient Care

• Apply a systematic approach to clinical ECG interpretation alongside patient history, vital signs, physical assessment, and laboratory data.
• Recognize high-priority ECG abnormalities and connect them to symptoms, risk factors, and potential cardiac emergencies.
• Differentiate ischemia, injury, infarction, STEMI, and NSTEMI using ECG patterns and broader clinical findings.
• Describe the basics of emergency response for cardiac arrest, defibrillation, cardioversion, pacemakers, and implantable cardioverter defibrillators.
• Identify common ECG changes related to electrolyte imbalance, medications, and drug toxicity, and relate them to patient assessment findings.
• Communicate ECG-related concerns clearly using documentation, SBAR, teamwork, patient education, and safety-focused clinical practice.

Program details

• Self-paced online program for healthcare professionals
• Program length: 10 hours, in four parts
• Includes graded assessments you must pass to complete the program
• Earn a downloadable Certificate of Completion upon successful program completion—ideal for documenting professional development and submitting to your employer for potential reimbursement
• Each certificate has a verification ID that employers can check at nahcp.com/verify

Program length describes the length of the program, not a number of continuing-education credits. Check with your employer or licensing board before submitting a program for credit or reimbursement.