CCT (CCI) study plan
CCT · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Patient Care and Preparation & Basic and Advanced Electrocardiography
Sequence the full patient-preparation workflow for a resting 12-lead ECG, including identification, consent/explanation, privacy, skin prep, and electrode application.
State the correct anatomical landmark and electrode label for each of the 10 chest and limb leads, and explain why limb-lead reversal changes the tracing.
Measure PR, QRS, and QT intervals in small boxes and convert each to milliseconds, then calculate heart rate using both the 1500-method and the 300-method.
Differentiate somatic tremor, AC interference, and baseline wander by appearance, and name one corrective action for each.
Your checkpoint
Hand-drawn 12-lead electrode placement diagram with labeled landmarks, plus a self-written 20-item rate-and-interval worksheet scored at 85% or better.
Basic and Advanced Electrocardiography
Calculate frontal plane axis from leads I and aVF, then classify the result as normal, left, right, or indeterminate.
Apply standard voltage criteria to identify left and right ventricular hypertrophy.
Correct the QT interval for heart rate using Bazett's formula and flag tracings with prolonged QTc.
Distinguish first-degree, Mobitz I, Mobitz II, and third-degree AV block by their defining interval behavior.
Localize ischemia and infarction by territory using ST elevation, ST depression, T-wave inversion, and pathologic Q waves in contiguous leads.
Your checkpoint
A one-page axis-and-interval decision tree, plus a self-scored 25-item interpretation set covering axis, hypertrophy, block, and infarction with 80% or better.
Cardiac Rhythm Analysis and Arrhythmias
Classify sinus rhythms, sinus arrhythmia, sinus pause/arrest, and wandering atrial pacemaker from rate and P-wave morphology.
Distinguish atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, atrial tachycardia, and multifocal atrial tachycardia by atrial rate, regularity, and P-wave appearance.
Identify junctional escape and accelerated junctional rhythms and explain why the P wave may be absent, inverted, or follow the QRS.
Separate a premature ventricular complex from an aberrantly conducted supraventricular beat using the Ashman phenomenon and preceding cycle lengths.
Your checkpoint
A rhythm-interpretation log of 30 practice strips, each with a written one-line rationale, achieving 85% or better agreement with the answer key.
Cardiac Rhythm Analysis and Arrhythmias & Patient Care and Preparation
Differentiate ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, torsades de pointes, idioventricular rhythm, and accelerated idioventricular rhythm by rate, regularity, and QRS morphology.
Apply morphologic criteria to separate wide-complex supraventricular tachycardia from ventricular tachycardia.
Recognize pacemaker spikes and classify capture, failure to capture, and failure to sense.
State the immediate recognition-and-response action for each lethal rhythm without hesitation.
Rehearse patient-positioning and safety steps for a patient who becomes symptomatic during a recording.
Your checkpoint
A timed 40-question mixed quiz spanning Domains 1 through 3, scored at 80% or better, with every missed item rewritten as a corrected one-sentence rule.
Ambulatory Monitoring (Holter and Event Monitoring)
Configure a Holter study end to end: select the lead set, prepare the skin, apply and secure electrodes, and program the recording duration.
Compare Holter, patch, external event, and implantable loop monitors by wear time, patient activation, and clinical indication.
Interpret a 24-hour summary report by extracting total beats, minimum/maximum/average heart rate, longest pause, and counts of supraventricular and ventricular ectopy.
Troubleshoot artifact, lead disconnection, and poor signal quality in an ambulatory recording.
Coach a patient on completing a symptom diary that aligns symptoms with time-stamped rhythm events.
Your checkpoint
A written mock Holter report built from a self-created 24-hour data table, including a findings summary and a patient-diary correlation paragraph.
Exercise Stress Testing
State the indications and absolute and relative contraindications for exercise stress testing.
Outline the Bruce protocol stages and describe the expected hemodynamic response at each stage.
List the absolute and relative termination criteria for a stress test and explain the reasoning behind each.
Explain pre-test instructions covering fasting, medication adjustments, clothing, and informed consent.
Identify the ECG criteria for a positive ischemic response and name the emergency equipment required in the room.
Your checkpoint
A one-page pre-test and safety checklist for exercise stress testing, plus a 15-item self-quiz on indications, endpoints, and positive criteria scored at 80% or better.
Basic and Advanced Electrocardiography & Cardiac Rhythm Analysis and Arrhythmias & Ambulatory Monitoring (Holter and Event Monitoring) & Exercise Stress Testing
Rank your five weakest subtopics using practice-quiz error patterns and rebuild notes for the top three.
Complete 60 mixed-domain practice items under a 90-minute time limit and review every rationale.
Re-derive from memory the interval, axis, hypertrophy, and infarction criteria without referencing notes.
Re-teach one Holter concept and one stress-testing concept aloud in under three minutes each.
Your checkpoint
A personal error-analysis sheet listing every missed item, its domain, root cause, and the corrected rule, with a re-test score improvement of at least 10 points.
Patient Care and Preparation & Basic and Advanced Electrocardiography & Cardiac Rhythm Analysis and Arrhythmias & Ambulatory Monitoring (Holter and Event Monitoring) & Exercise Stress Testing
Complete two full-length timed practice exams that mirror the domain weighting and record scores per domain.
Review only high-yield misses and confirm each correction against your own notes.
Memorize the operational checklists for lead placement, Holter setup, and stress-test safety so they can be recited without prompts.
Finalize exam-day logistics: test site route, arrival time, required identification, and a rest-and-sleep plan for the preceding night.
Your checkpoint
Two completed full-length practice exams with per-domain score breakdowns, both at or above 80% overall and no domain below 70%.
Milestones
Week 2: Score 80% or better on a self-made 25-item ECG interpretation set covering rate, intervals, axis, hypertrophy, and block, and recite lead landmarks from memory without notes.
Week 4: Score 80% or better on a timed 40-question quiz spanning Domains 1 through 3, including at least five lethal-rhythm identification items.
Week 6: Produce a complete written mock Holter report and a stress-test safety checklist, and pass a 15-item stress-testing quiz at 80% or better.
Week 8: Achieve 80% or better overall on two full-length timed practice exams with no single domain below 70%.