These are my favorite resources to help you learn EKG’s proficiently and efficiently without breaking the bank.
A cardio rotation!
Okay I know this isn’t a resource. But my favorite month of med school was during my cardio rotation. A month of ‘hey this EKG looks weird. Mind reviewing it with me?’ and then BOOM a cardiologist was personally going over EKG’s with me. Your attendings, fellows, residents, and yes…even some interns, are great resources of knowledge so be curious and ask them questions!
Read EKG’s!
Every patient’s EKG that you read is practice for the next. If you want to get better at interpreting EKG’s then read EKG’s! You should look at every patient’s EKG that you can get your hands on. First get a systematic methodology of reading objective EKG’s down pat (see below for more). Next you should work on interpreting the EKG’s. This is the part that takes years to perfect and is why cardiologists exist. Practice makes perfect so check out the following website and books for more practice!
Life In The Fast Lane
This is my favorite website by far. It gives you longer but succinct explanations of almost everything cardiology related for people in medical school and residency.
Dr. Dubin’s Rapid Interpretation of EKG’s
This wasn’t my first EKG book that I ever read but it should have been. It’s perfect for beginners at any stage of medical school. It goes back to the basics of cell membrane conductivity and slowly walks you through the process of understanding the biological basis behind EKG’s. It then provides you an easy and systematic process to reading those squiggly lines. By the end of this book you should be able to read EKG’s proficiently. Interpreting them will take more time and much more practice. This book forces you to be active in how you process the information and should be the first EKG book that you read.
Clinical Electrocardiography: a Simplified Approach (8th edition)
This one is a little more advanced and I liked it for that reason. Better suited to someone who has a little bit more background in EKG’s (e.g. has read Dubin’s) and wants to know more about the minutia. This book also comes with a code for an e-copy that can be linked to your tablet and smartphone through a common app. LPT: download chapters on your smartphone to read during downtime (much more conveneient when on-the-go).
EKG Wave Maven
Great website purely for EKG’s. Their goal is to increase your level of ‘ECG literacy’. This website gives you a short clinical description and then asks you a relevant question about the rhythm strip. It’s my new favorite site for EKG’s because it’s a quick and easy way to increase your exposure to EKG’s.
Learn the Heart- Healio
This site is a huge resource. It’s probably the best all around website that I’ve found for EKG’s and more. It has everything from beginners all the way to advanced stuff. It goes into more detail than EKG maven. It gives you more information on the topic besides just an EKG. Check it out to learn about EKG’s and other detailed cardiology topics
Heart Matters: A Memoir of a Female Heart Surgeon
This ones for leisure. A well written memoir of what it was like to train as a female cardiac transplant surgeon in a seemingly male predominant arena. She juggles a family and career as she shows us how she has found her way toward a rewarding and uplifting career and managed to make her personal life work too. It’s not easy but her family makes it work. Worth the read for anyone who has ever wondered if it’s possible to have a rewarding career and also have a family. Or if you just wanted to know what it’s like to be a heart transplant surgeon.