Foundational ECG Education for Physician Assistant Students: Outcomes of an Active Learning Intervention

Description

ECG acquisition and cardiac electrophysiology are frequently undertaught in physician assistant
cardiology curricula, with greater emphasis placed on pattern recognition than foundational ECG
principles. This study examined whether a single active learning ECG session improved first-year PA
students’ knowledge and confidence in ECG acquisition and electrophysiology. Forty-two students
participated in a 90-minute session; pre- and post-assessments revealed a 10.3 percentage point
improvement in item-level performance, with the greatest gains in cardiac plane orientation and
foundational recall. Student confidence in performing a 12-lead ECG increased substantially. These
findings support integrating dedicated ECG acquisition instruction and hands-on skills training into PA
cardiology curricula.