Many adults have gone to a doctor's office, clinic, or hospital, and are recommended to take an EKG. The electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) records the electrical signal from your heart to check for different heart diseases.
Electrodes are placed on your chest to record your heart's electrical signals, which cause your heart to beat. The signals are shown as waves on a printer, and modern medical facilities now record the EKG directly on to a computer.
The technicians or nurses conducting the EKG must have certification as an ECG/EKG Technician.
Los Fresnos High School students now have the opportunity to become certified in the new ECG Technician Program.
Griselda Galvez, M.D., has taught Anatomy and Physiology classes at LFHS since 2017.
Galvez, who grew up in Tampico, Tamaulipas, completed her medical education in Mexico with Specialty in Pediatrics and Sub-Specialty in Neonatology. She has certifications in several medical fields and has to be re-certified every five years as many physicians are required to do.
She has lived in the United States since 1993. Pursuing a career in education, she earned Master of Education and Master of Science degrees from The University of Texas at Brownsville (now UTRGV). She continued practicing in Matamoros, working during evenings and weekends before retiring as a physician in June after 30 years practicing medicine.
"I decided to teach because I could share my love and knowledge of medicine with students," Galvez said. She taught in Brownsville for eight years before coming to LFHS. She also has certification as a principal and briefly worked as an assistant principal.
Galvez teaches Dual Enrollment courses at LFHS through Texas Southmost College and is an adjunct faculty member at TSC for Anatomy and Physiology I and II for both lecture and laboratory.
"We are very fortunate to have an actual physician in Dr. Galvez as part of our CTE teaching family," said Ronnie Rodriguez, Director of the Los Fresnos CISD Career and Technology Education program. "Her actual experience in the field has helped our students gain valuable knowledge to find out if a career in the health field may be in their future."
In the spring, her LFHS faculty peer Aurora Brito mentioned that the school can teach another program for certification.
"We looked into the program and I liked it. Although I had the knowledge and the experience in this medical area, I received training to become an ECG Instructor," Galvez said.
Galvez embedded ECG as a topic in the Anatomy and Physiology II class for the current semester and hopes to have a full ECG Technician class in the spring. An electrocardiogram machine and its connections were purchased.
"The students can do everything online including the certification exam. They can learn and practice with our own electrocardiogram machine."
In the spring, 10 students received a diploma of completion. Completion can result in students taking the n National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) ECG Technician Program.
Starting this semester, LFHS will be a testing site for the NCCT ECG program.
"If the students like the medical and health area, this is something good for them," Galvez said. "Even if they follow a different career, this is a good option to become certified to work in a hospital, clinic, or doctor's office as a source of income. It's an extra skill that can help them for the rest of their lives."
Going to college or a trade school to become an EKG Technician costs thousands of dollars. "Here you can get certified for free."