Nurses Tap Into New Teaching Tool
Monday June 2, 2008
Print This- Select Text Size:
Comments
More Info
See the action
advertisement
"It's a very cool and unique way to learn, and you don't need to be a tap dancer to learn ECG rhythms this way," says Kari Marton-Rollins, a sophomore nursing student at the University of Pennsylvania (U of P) School of Nursing. "The rhythms really stick with you. Although you can't tap dance during an exam, you can replay the steps over in your head."
This spring, Marton-Rollins and three other nursing students answered a call from McCauley, who was looking for students with tap experience to join her in filming an educational video. The video, "Tap Dancing and Electrocardiograms: A Snap to Learn," took the clever teaching strategy to the next level and was entered in the 2008 Promise of Nursing for Pennsylvania video challenge. The challenge was hosted by The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future to encourage nurses and nursing students to capture their passion about nursing on camera. The tap-dancing team won the video contest, and the grand prize of a $5,000 education grant.
Contest videos were viewed at the March 2008 Promise of Nursing gala in Philadelphia. The galas are held in regions across the country to celebrate the nursing profession and raise funds to help ease the nursing shortage.
Dancing feet and quivering knees
The two-minute video uses tap steps along with corresponding rhythm strips to illustrate basic cardiac rhythm recognition. Rhythms include normal sinus rhythm, sinus tachycardia, sinus bradycardia, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia.
"The visual representation of the atria with the tapping left leg and the ventricles with the tapping right leg reinforces the action of the heart," says Erin Langenkamp, RN, BSN, one of the video tappers and an MSN student in midwifery and women's health at the U of P.
The highlight of the video occurs when the tap dance team simulates ventricular fibrillation by not tapping at all and simply quivering their knees. "That usually gets laughs, but [the absence of sound] is the whole point," says McCauley. "There's no cardiac output, so you're not hearing anything."
During the performance of ventricular fibrillation, McCauley tells the story of how a nurse comes to the rescue and defibrillates the patient. The dancers simulate the action of defibrillation by jumping high into the air and landing on both feet. After pausing briefly, they return to the tapping of normal sinus rhythm as jovial ragtime music kicks in in the background.
"The audible tapping of the different rhythms engages students," says Langenkamp. "I will never forget what is happening in arrhythmias after learning the tap interpretations."
Impromptu table tapping
McCauley has been using tap to help students and nurses at the School of Nursing and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania learn ECG rhythm recognition since the 1980s. She uses traditional methods to teach ECGs, and adds the tap routines to reinforce concepts. "Students can really see and hear the difference between such rhythms as atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter," she says.
McCauley has developed a tap routine for most cardiac rhythms. Her repertoire has evolved to include even the most complex rhythms, such as Torsades de pointes, a rare variation of ventricular tachycardia. She currently is working out tap routines for atrial fibrillation with Ashman's phenomenon and third-degree complete heart block.
With a talent like this, McCauley has some interesting tales to tell. She recalls one event in the 1980s at which she performed for cardiologists at an ECG conference. The cardiologists participated by calling out the rhythms as she danced. They even helped her fine-tune the steps of the most complicated rhythms.
Catherine Spader, RN, is a frequent contributor to Nursing Spectrum. To comment, e-mail editorNTL@gannetthg.com.
Reader Comments
Login
Be the first to comment!