TELEMETRY TECHNICIAN ONLINE/or Classroom SYLLABUS
THROUGH PHLEBOTOMY CAREER TRAINING
A Michigan Proprietary School
Two Locations;
28050 Ford Rd. Suite C Garden City, MI 48135
22762 West Rd. Brownstown, MI 48183
Phone 313-826-2381, 313-575-1214, 734-762-3220
Instructor: Nancy L. Kimmel RN, PhD, CHMM, CPI, CNAT
Course Description:
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, (dyspena), 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 prerequisites for Online or in Class: Those who seek to enroll in this course should have previous medical background as either an RN, C.N.A., LPN, 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.
Time Frame to complete Course:
Online: One month from time of purchase (student is required to put in a maximum of 24 hours of study time.)
In Class: This is a 3 day course consisting of eight hour days typically from 8-5:30PM with a half hour for lunch.
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:
Students will be notified of their score. The passing score that is required is a 80% or better.
Successful students will receive a certificate as a Telemetry Technician and a letter of course completion from Phlebotomy Career Training School in Garden City, Michigan.
With this certification, students can work in cardiology offices, hospitals as ECG technicians as well as Telemetry Technicians. Students will then be eligible to take their National Certification for EKG Technician. The national exam is $105. This is not included in the course fee. The National Healthcareer Association is the benchmark in certification of medical healthcare professionals. The website of the NHA can be visited at Phlebotomy Career Training is an NHA approved school.In Class;
Students in the classroom setting will have a final exam at the end of the third day. Passing score is 80%
Grading: There is one final exam. Students are required to score at least an 80% to pass
Day 1. Introduction to the cardiovascular system
- Anatomy and physiology of the heart
- Medications that affect the heart
- Cardiac abnormalities
Day 2. Beginning the cardiac rhythm interpretation
- Tracing the electrical activity of the heart
- Reading P, QRS, ST, PR intervals
- Interpreting the strip
Day 3. Cardiac rhythms
- Normal sinus rhythms
- Ventricular rhythms
- Atrial rhythms
- All other rhythms including Torsade de points
Attendance requirements
Students are expected 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.
Requests for Special Accommodation
The Office of Disabled Student Services handles requests for special accommodation. Support services are available for students who submit documentation for eligibility under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992.
Cell Phones and Pagers
The use of cell phones and pagers is strictly prohibited during laboratory sessions.
Misuse of Computers
Computers in classrooms or laboratories are to be used by students for educational purposes only.
Criminal Background Checks
If criminal background checks are required by clinical affiliates, the student shall be notified of this requirement prior to enrollment or as soon as the requirement is known. The check must be completed within the 90 day period immediately prior to the student's initial clinical placement. It shall be the student's responsibility to make timely arrangements for the background check and to pay all costs associated with such checks. The clinical affiliate sets eligibility standards for participation in the clinical assignment and evaluates results of the criminal background check. The names of any student excluded from participation at the hospital based on the hospital's eligibility standards shall be provided to the school. The school shall takes steps to ensure that the individual does not participate in the clinical program at the affiliate. The institution shall inform students excluded from clinical placement on the basis of a criminal background check of any review or appeal process available pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act or any other law or policy, if any.