There are many ECG courses available online advertised to help you develop the skill of ECG interpretation.But which is the best Online ECG Courses? But how do these courses compare? Which course is more likely to help you develop the skill of ECG interpretation? This blog post aims to answer this question. We are particularly interested in identifying the best courses that bridge key knowledge domains and skills, and particularly facilitates understanding of basic anatomy, electrophysiology, and pathophysiology, and whilst also providing opportunities to exercise pattern recognition and diagnostic reasoning. To evaluate these courses, we will assess a variety of online courses using publicly available information which includes data that can be assessed without requiring a subscription or payment for additional details. 

Our approach to assessing ECG courses

A rubric was created and used to assess the courses identified. This rubric was created with the use of ChatGPT through an iterative process. There were 7 key categories of interest each containing specific criteria. A scale of 1-5 was used to assess each criterion. Additionally, each category was assigned a specific weight to reflect its importance in the overall assessment. Each category and their respective weights are described below: 

• Course Content (51%): Focuses on the depth, accuracy, and structure of the material presented in the course. This includes the inclusion of foundational knowledge, systematic approaches, and alignment with clinical standards to ensure comprehensive ECG learning.
• Presentation Quality (16%): Assesses the clarity, engagement, and effectiveness of the course’s visual aids and overall presentation style. High-quality presentation ensures that the material is both accessible and engaging for learners.
• Technical Features (9%): Reviews the usability of the course platform and the availability of diverse media formats. A user-friendly interface and varied media enhance accessibility and provide a seamless learning experience.
• Value and Recognition (8%): Examines the course’s overall value, including its cost-effectiveness, CPD certification, and endorsements by credible professional organisations. These factors ensure the course offers recognised benefits for career and personal growth.
• Instructor and Provider (6%): Evaluates the qualifications and credibility of the instructor(s) and the reputation of the course provider. This helps ensure that the course is delivered by experienced professionals and backed by a trustworthy organisation.
• Accessibility and Support (6%): Considers the availability of learner support, accessibility features like subtitles or translations, and opportunities for community engagement. This ensures an inclusive and supportive learning environment.
• Relevance and Updates (6%): Evaluates how current and up-to-date the course content is, along with its transparency about time commitments. These aspects ensure learners are investing in a course that reflects the latest clinical practices. 

The overall score is calculated based on 2 components, 70% is based on ratings assigned using our rubric and 30% is based on online reviews received for the course or the organisation offering it. Courses without online reviews were assigned a score of  0 for the lack of social proof.  

Additionally, scores were corrected by multiplying by 1.2  to improve interpretability. This adjustment ensures that top-performing courses score above 4 on a standard 1-5 scale, aligning with general expectations for high-quality offerings. The adjustment does not alter the relative ranking of courses but makes it easier for users to identify and compare top options at a glance. For transparency, both the original and adjusted scores are included in the final assessment.  

Our recommendation system

Our recommendation system, “avoid, consider, shortlist and buy” is inspired by Carwow’s which aims to help viewers make an informed decision regarding vehicle purchases. This framework provides a clear guide to help learners select the ECG course which will likely provide the most value. 

Ranking of best online ECG courses

#10 : ECG: Interpretation and Clinical Application (MDCourse/EMGuidance)

Duration: 5 hours

Price: ~$55

CPD/CME: Yes 

Adjusted score: 1.4/5 ⭐☆☆☆☆ (Original score: 1.2)

Recommendation: Avoid

This is a 4-5 hour ‘MDCourses’ course offered on the EMGuidance platform with a cost of approximately $55. The course page offers a brief overview and outline the lessons included; however, it does not offer a preview or sample of how these lessons are delivered. Therefore, assessing presentation quality is not possible. Furthermore, they lacked any existing reviews and scored a 0 in this domain. This course scored the lowest score. However, based on the course outline, learners are still likely to gain value. Notably there appears to be a strong focus on acute coronary syndrome with over an hour of video content dedicated to this topic alone. This suggests that learners are likely to gain a substantial amount of knowledge regarding infarctions from this course. 

The primary reason this course scores so poorly is because of the lack of sample content available to potential learners before they make a purchase. Without sample content or previews, learners are left uncertain about what to expect making it challenging to make an informed decision. This lack of transparency does not foster trust and requires learners to take a leap of faith hoping that the content and its delivery meet their needs or wants. For this reason, our recommendation is to avoid.  

#9: 18 lead ECG course (AIEM/EMGuidance)

Duration: 5 hours

Price: ~$60

CPD/CME: Yes 

Adjusted score: 1.6/5 ⭐☆☆☆☆ (Original score: 1.4)

Recommendation: Consider

This is a course that focuses on the fundamentals of an 18 lead ECG including basic anatomy and physiology and is offered via EMGuidance. The duration of this course is stated to be approximately 5 hours however, based on the lesson plan most lessons are relatively short ranging from 00:16 – 10:44 with a total course content duration time of approximately 1 hour 20 minutes. This suggests that the average amount of time allotted to a question (of which there are approximately 36) is 6 minutes per question. The complexity of the questions are unclear, as we did not access them, so this appears to be more than enough time required to answer each question. 

This course earned a low score based on our rubric for the same reasons as the previous course, it does not offer a preview or sample of how these lessons are delivered, and lacks existing reviews from previous learners. One may want to consider this course as it is particularly unique compared to others listed here as it focuses on the 18 lead ECG which is unique, furthermore one can earn 5 CPD points by taking this course. 

#8: Certificate Course in ECG Interpretation (Medvarsity)

Duration: Unclear

Price: $115

CPD/CME: Unclear 

Adjusted score: 2.8/5 ⭐⭐☆☆☆ (Original score: 2.3)

Recommendation: Consider

This Medvarsity course is hosted on what appears to be a well designed platform. However it falls short as the preview content does not suggest a strong focus on ensuring mastery of fundamentals (such as anatomy and physiology), and does not appear to offer a systematic approach to ECG interpretation. Additionally, it did not score particularly high on our rubric due to a lack of content previews to assess presentation quality. Regardless, this course seems to be favoured by many learners with an average rating of 4 from 5000 learners. One may want to consider this course given that they seem to have a good average rating of 4 from many students. 

#7: Clinical ECG interpretation (course/e-book)

Duration: Unclear

Price: Free?

CPD/CME: No 

Adjusted score: 2.9/5 ⭐⭐☆☆☆ (Original score: 2.4)

Recommendation: Consider

This is a text-abased Clinical ECG interpretation course/book offered by ECG and Echo Learning. It appears to be free and is composed of 8 sections and 84 chapters. On quick review of some content this e-book offers a comprehensive information regarding ECG interpretation from anatomy, physiology and a systematic approach to ECG interpretation. This book covers a wide range of content; however, its text-based format may not appeal to those who prefer video-based learning. Regardless, this seems like a great resource to facilitate your ECG learning journey. The points are lower than expected as there are no existing reviews. One may want to consider this course as there seems to be a lot offered here, it’s primary shortcoming is the medium in which the content is being presented, as text.  

#6: ECG Master Course – Read and Understand Any ECG Strip (Udemy)

Duration: 2 hours

Price: ~$16

CPD/CME: No 

Adjusted score: 3.1/5 ⭐⭐☆☆☆ (Original score: 2.6)

Recommendation: Shortlist

This Udemy course seems to be relatively fast paced as it is composed of 51 lessons and each topic is covered in a 2 – 4 minute video. It has a total of approximately 2 hours of on-demand video content. Based on the course page, it appears to be comprehensive but lacks a structured approach to ECG interpretation. 11 learner reviews show an average score of 4.8/5. Given the relatively low price-point of R299 (~ $16) this is likely good value for your money. Consider shortlisting this course as it seems to potentially offer good value for money. 

#5: ECG Skills (BMJ Learning) 

Duration: 14 hours

Price: Free?

CPD/CME: Yes 

Adjusted score: 3.2/5 ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (Original score: 2.7)

Recommendation: Shortlist

This course is composed of a collection of courses offered by BMJ Learning for which one may earn 14 CPD points. This course is an estimated 14 hours long. This also offers foundational knowledge of cardiac anatomy and physiology. However, this course does not seem to emphasise a specific approach to ECG interpretation. Nonetheless, learners are likely to gain a lot from this course. Additionally, the qualitative feedback offered by learners seems to be generally positive. Given the above, one would expect this course to rank higher, it does not because there is really not much content to preview to make a more accurate or fair assessment. Despite this, consider shortlisting this course given that the offering is relatively comprehensive and it is offered by a reputable institution.

#4: Master Fundamentals of ECG / EKG (Udemy/Dr Najeeb)

Duration: 13.5 hours

Price: ~$49

CPD/CME: No 

Adjusted score: 3.3/5 ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (Original score: 2.7)

Recommendation: Shortlist

This is a course offered on ECG by Dr Najeeb who has a strong reputation for producing high quality content where complex topics are simplified. This course appears to largely focus on the foundational knowledge required for ECG interpretation such as the ECG leads, anatomy, and physiology. However, it does not appear that this course covers the process of ECG interpretation itself, and lacks mention of any structured approach to ECG analysis. Nonetheless, this course is likely to provide a solid foundation for ECG interpretation and can complement another course that focuses on ECG analysis. The learner reviews are generally excellent with a 4.8 course rating, with 288 reviews and 1828 students. Consider shortlisting this course to help develop your ECG foundational knowledge.

#3: Certificate Course in ECG Interpretation/ Electrocardiogram (Udemy)

Duration: 15 hours

Price: ~$49

CPD/CME: No 

Adjusted score: 3.7/5 ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (Original score: 3.1)

Recommendation: Shortlist

This Udemy course seems to offer a great amount of value for money as it covers a breadth of content over 15 hours from basic physiology, ECG paper, and the various wave forms. However there is no mention of a structured systematic approach to ECG interpretation. They also offer case-based learning to help develop diagnostic skills. This course has earned an average rating of 4.2 from 26 reviewers. One may consider shortlisting this course as it seems that it will likely offer real value. 

#2: ECG Mastery: Yellow, blue and black belt (MedMastery)

Duration: 4.67 hours

Price: $47 per month

CPD/CME: No 

Adjusted score: 4.2/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (Original score: 3.5)

Recommendation: Buy

MedMastery offers 3 ECG courses: yellow, blue and black belt. These courses cover the key concepts regarding ECG interpretation however appear to lack an inclusion of comprehensive basic anatomy and physiology, and a systematic approach to ECG interpretation. Regardless it appears with these courses one will generate a lot of value for money as the final course (ECG Mastery Black Belt Workshop) provides 68 cases for one to work through. By working through these cases one is likely to develop the key knowledge and skills required for ECG interpretation. The preview content and course pages generate relatively confidence in the quality of content to be provided by MedMastery, for that reason we recommend you consider buying this course. 

#1: ECG Academy

Duration: 15 hours

Price: $14.95 per month

CPD/CME: Unclear 

Adjusted score: 4.4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (Original score: 3.7)

Recommendation: Buy

The design and layout of the ECG Academy website is not particularly striking and is not particularly intuitive or what one may expect, however the platform offers a good amount of information to help potential learners decide on whether their offering is right for them. Available videos are of high quality and the instructor appears to be well positioned to offer these courses. There is plenty of information from testimonials and sample materials to help inform your decision. However there does not appear to be any mention of helping learners develop a simple and systematic approach to ECG interpretation. Nonetheless, the syllabus is quite comprehensive and any learner is likely to gain value from taking this course at just $15 dollars per month for 15 hours of video lessons. For that reason, we recommend you buy it.  

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