Telemetry Technician 3 day Course

TELEMETRY TECHNICIAN

Offered at Garden City

Also Offered On-line

Course Description

Instructor: Nancy L. Kimmel RN, PhD, CHMM, CPI, CNAT

This is a 24 hour course that is offered online or in class.  All students will need calipers to take this course.  The purpose of this course is to train students to read and interpret 22 types of cardiac lead tracings produced from 12 and five lead monitors.  Certified by the National Healthcareer Association, the ECG with Telemetry encompasses topics such as the anatomy and physiology of the heart, etiology of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, pharmacology of various heart and blood pressure medications.  The Telemetry online course covers biomedical mechanisms of a twelve lead ECG, over twenty different cardiac rhythms and arrhythmias.    A cardiac rhythm that is most important for any telemetry technician to recognize is that of a myocardial infarction.  A person suffering from a myocardial infarction, depending on the location of the area of ischemia, complains of some of the following symptoms; sweating, chest pain (described as a crushing feeling), pain radiating in the interior of the left arm, jaw pain (dull ache), trouble breathing, (dyspnea), nausea and or vomiting.  Not everyone who sustains a myocardial infarction has the same symptoms or all the symptoms.  The most telling sign of a myocardial infarction on an electrocardiogram are the widened QRS complexes, flattened or depressed ST segment and depressed or elevated T waves.

When learning to interpret ECG’s (electrocardiograms) students are first trained to understand the anatomy of the heart and the heart’s electrical conduction pathway.  Once the students are able to demonstrate their ability to diagram and explain this pathway they are next taught how to read the lead tracing grid that all electrocardiograms are traced on.

The students who learn to interpret electrocardiogram rhythms are acutely responsible for what they interpret.  Although a registered nurse and or physician are ultimately responsible for the final interpretation, the telemetry technician is the first responder when noticing any rhythm that could be considered fatal or life threatening.   Therefore, it is very important for the telemetry technician to be adept at reading and interpreting the lead tracings especially the actual lead tracing of a dangerous cardiac rhythm.

Course Fees; In class $399

Online: $175 (no in class instruction)

Course Prerequisites (Online or in Class)

All Students currently attending PCT are eligible to take the Telemetry Class and become a Telemetry Certification.

Students seeking to enroll in this course on site or online must have previous medical background as an RN, C.N.A., , Paramedic, EMT or Medical Assistant.  It is very difficult for the layperson to master this course in one month or in three days without guided instruction.  Therefore it benefits the student to have some medical background in patient care as well as anatomy and physiology.   

Course Schedule

Online: One month from time of purchase (student is required to put in a maximum of 24 hours of study time.)  In Class: Three day course consisting of eight hour days typically from 8-5:30PM with a half hour for lunch.

Day 1 Introduction to the Cardiovascular System

1. Anatomy and physiology of the heart
2. Medications that affect the heart
3. Cardiac abnormalities

Day 2 Beginning the Cardiac Rhythm Interpretation

1. Tracing the electrical activity of the heart
2. Reading P, QRS, ST, PR intervals
3. Interpreting the strip

Day 3 Cardiac Rhythms

1. Normal sinus rhythms
2. Ventricular rhythms
3. Atrial rhythms
4. All other rhythms including Torsade de points

Students are required to attend and participate in three scheduled Saturday laboratory sessions throughout the semester.  Missed laboratories cannot be made up.  A grade of “0″ will be given for all missed laboratories.

Course Details

The students will be emailed a login in code for the website and those in class will be given the login code as well as the printed version of the online materials as a study guide.  They will login in under Courses and click on the Telemetry Course.  There, they will enter their password.  Students will have access to the website and the contents for six weeks.  After one month the student will be required to contact their instructor Nancy Kimmel to obtain the final exam.   The exam can be sent via their e-mail, U.S mail or fax. All exams are to be returned to instructor within five working days after receipt.  Students are requested to call instructor for preference of exam delivery method either by phone: 313-826-2381 or by e-mail:

nancy@phlebotmycareertraining.com

Admissions Requirements

Please review each separate program to determine any additional prerequisites which apply to admission to that Program.

1. Education: Proof of High School graduation or GED although for the C.N.A. program, the student needs only to have completed the 6^th grade..

a. Official transcript of high school record is mandatory. All applicants must have evidence of High School diploma or GED.

b. Official transcript of post-secondary course work (if applicable).

c. Applicants educated outside mainland U.S. must obtain written official documentation of transcripts showing high school graduation or equivalency from native country.

2.  A resume of work experience (Related work experience will be given preference in the admissions process). Not needed for C.N.A.

4. Students must sign an authorization for the Institution to conduct a Criminal Background check with the State of Michigan.