An effective ECG curriculum for third-year medical students in a community-based clerkship

Abstract

Student surveys, clinical performance and pretest scores indicated that third-year students at the University of Wisconsin Medical School were lacking in the basic skills needed to systematically interpret electrocardiograms (ECGs). We describe an ECG mini-course developed for use in the community-based primary care clerkship and taught at sites throughout the state. Evaluation of the course showed a significant difference between the mean scores on the pretests and posttests. More importantly, the combined group of all students who took the course had significantly better scores (25.7 &#45 5.4) than students who did not take the course (20.1 &#45 6.8), (p = 0.0001) on a year-end skills assessment.The modest degree of preceptor involvement and self-study/workshop format make this course a transportable and cost-effective means for community-based instruction.