Jul 6, 2012

Twelve-lead EKGs have become the standard of care in ambulances, but many medical professionals seek additional training to better understand the results of the technology, which essentially looks at the heart from 12 different angles.
 
College of the Mainland will offer an eight-hour continuing education class to members of the local medical community who would like to sharpen their 12-lead interpretation skills. The class costs $5 and participants can attend the class from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on either July 19 or July 21. Students earn eight hours of continuing education credit approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services after taking the course and passing the test.

The course will teach participants how to interpret 12-lead EKG results, which allow pre-hospital providers to recognize a heart attack and begin aggressive treatment before they reach the hospital. In a way, it “brings the ER to the patient,” said Julianne Duncan, director of the College of the Mainland EMS Program.
 
The course is one of several medical continuing education offerings of College of the Mainland. “We are trying to address needs of the EMS community,” said Duncan.

COM and the area medical field have maintained a close relationship with COM students attending clinicals with area hospitals and EMS providers. “We simply could not complete our mission without them,” Duncan explained. “This is a way to say thank you for your support and to give back by offering continuing education courses at little to no cost for constituents.”

For more information, call 409-933-8198.