HCA stands for Health Care Assistant and is a role related to healthcare that specializes in helping the medical team with various duties to ensure the smooth functioning of the healthcare facility. Specifically, an HCA may perform a Cardiac Rhythm Test, which is an evaluation of the electrical activity of the heart to detect any underlying arrhythmias or abnormalities.
The test itself involves the attachment of an Electrocardiogram (ECG) leads to the patient’s chest, arms, and legs. The ECG records the cardiac electrical activity as the heartbeat through the electrical impulse that moves through the heart in a wave-like manner. After attaching the ECG leads, the HCA records the patient’s heart rhythm on the ECG machine.
The physician then interprets the results to determine if any cardiac abnormalities exist, such as flutter, tachycardia, bradycardia, ventricular fibrillation, or a heart block.
