Before any monitor interpretation, before the computer gives an answer, and before the receiving team sees the patient, EMS has to make sense of the rhythm in front of them.

That moment matters.

A clean EKG can help confirm what the patient is telling you. A poor tracing can send everyone in the wrong direction. A subtle pattern can be easy to miss. A computer generated interpretation can help, but it should never replace clinical judgment.

In this first episode of The Heartbeat Series, Dr. Muhammad Shareef will guide prehospital clinicians through the practical foundations of EKG recognition in the field.

We are welcoming our phenomenal speaker for this new series:

Dr. Muhammad Shareef is an emergency physician at UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital in Rockford, Illinois, where he serves in several leadership roles, including Vice Chair, Associate Medical Director, EMS Medical Director, and Emergency Medicine Clerkship Director.

His work connects emergency department care, EMS medical direction, and clinical education, giving him a practical perspective on the decisions that matter before, during, and after patient arrival.

This session will focus on how to recognize important EKG patterns, define STEMI in a clinically meaningful way, connect EKG changes with coronary vessel distribution, and troubleshoot erratic tracings caused by artifact, lead placement issues, or poor signal quality.

This is not just about reading lines on paper. It is about recognizing the rhythm before the patient crashes, before the activation decision is delayed, and before the opportunity to act is lost.

For EMS, EKG acquisition is not a technical task alone. It is an early warning system. It is a communication tool. It is often the first clue that a time sensitive cardiac emergency is already moving.

Join us for a practical, field focused conversation designed to strengthen confidence, sharpen pattern recognition, and reinforce the clinical thinking behind every 12 lead EKG.

General Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, prehospital providers will be able to:

• Recognize and interpret EKG patterns independently of AI/Computer Generated answers        
• Define STEMI using current EKG criteria and clinical context
• Identify EKG correlation with coronary vessel distribution
• Troubleshoot erratic EKG rhythms during recording in the prehospital or hospital setting caused by artifact, lead misplacement, or poor signal quality.

The overall goal of the Emergency Education Night Webinar Series is to strengthen clinical judgment communication and system coordination among emergency and prehospital providers through evidence informed education that supports high risk and sensitive patient encounters.

Target Audience

This activity is designed for:

• Emergency Medical Responders (EMR)
• Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT)
• Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMT)
• Paramedics
• Critical Care Paramedics
• Emergency department nurses
• Advanced practice providers
• Physicians and other healthcare professionals involved in emergency response and patient care across the prehospital and emergency department setting.

CAPCE Accreditation Statement

This activity is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE) for 1.0 continuing education hour (CEH).

• CAPCE Basic CEH
• CAPCE Advanced CEH

Participants must attend the live session in its entirety and complete the required attendance verification and evaluation to receive continuing education credit.

Granting of CAPCE credit does not represent endorsement by CAPCE or its board members.

Cost

There is no cost to attend this activity.

To register for the live session, follow the link: SPECIAL EDITION: The Heartbeat Series. Episode 1: “The Pulse of recognition” | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams