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.