Built on the ACC Core Curriculum. Validated Against Current ACC/AHA Guidelines.
The APP Cardiology Academy is structured around the American College of Cardiology Core Curriculum for Cardiovascular Care. All 16 lessons map directly to ACC Core Curriculum domains, and every management recommendation is built from the current ACC/AHA clinical practice guideline for that condition. Class of Recommendation and Level of Evidence are stated throughout — because the distinction between a Class I and a Class IIa recommendation matters in real clinical practice.
The Standard That Defines Cardiovascular Competence for APPs
The ACC Core Curriculum for Cardiovascular Care defines the foundational knowledge base for cardiovascular practice for advanced practice providers. It is the framework that underlies the Certified Cardiac Knowledge Exam (CCKE) and the clinical competency expectations most health systems use when evaluating APPs entering cardiovascular specialty roles.
The APP Cardiology Academy covers every major ACC Core Curriculum domain across 16 lessons, verified against all 14 ACC competency tables. The curriculum is not a general cardiology survey built around what an author found interesting. It is organized explicitly around what the ACC has defined as the knowledge base for APPs in cardiovascular practice.
| Academy Section | ACC Core Curriculum Domain | Primary Guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1: Core Clinical Skills | Cardiovascular Assessment & Diagnostics | ACC/AHA ECG Standards; AHA Cardiac Physical Examination |
| Lesson 6: CAD | Ischemic Heart Disease | ACC/AHA STEMI, NSTEMI, Stable Ischemic Heart Disease Guidelines |
| Lesson 7: Heart Failure | Heart Failure & Cardiomyopathy | 2022 ACC/AHA/HFSA Heart Failure Guidelines |
| Lesson 8: Arrhythmias | Cardiac Arrhythmias & Electrophysiology | 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines; ACC/AHA VT Guidelines |
| Lesson 9: HTN/Lipids | Hypertension; Dyslipidemia | ACC/AHA Hypertension Guidelines; ACC/AHA Cholesterol Guidelines |
| Lesson 10: Structural | Valvular Heart Disease; Cardiomyopathy | ACC/AHA Valvular Heart Disease Guidelines |
| Lesson 11: Vascular | Peripheral Vascular Disease | ACC/AHA PAD Guidelines; ACC/AHA VTE Guidelines |
| Lesson 12: Prevention | Preventive Cardiology | ACC/AHA Cardiovascular Risk Guidelines; Cardio-Oncology |
| Lesson 13: Critical Care | Critical Care Cardiology | ACC/AHA Cardiogenic Shock; MCS Guidelines |
| Section 3: Professional | Professional Competencies | ACC Core Competencies Tables 3–14 |
Class of Recommendation and Level of Evidence — Stated, Not Implied
Cardiology guidelines are not binary. A Class I recommendation (“benefit greatly exceeds risk; should be performed”) is not the same as Class IIa (“benefit exceeds risk; reasonable to perform”) or Class IIb (“benefit may exceed risk; may be considered”). Teaching them as equivalent produces APPs who cannot reason through clinical edge cases — and who cannot discuss clinical decisions at the level their cardiology team expects.
Every management recommendation in the APP Cardiology Academy is taught with its guideline class and level of evidence explicitly stated. Three examples where this distinction matters most:
LBBB and STEMI Activation
Left bundle branch block does not automatically activate a STEMI pathway. Current ACC/AHA guidelines require Sgarbossa criteria (score ≥3) for STEMI consideration in the setting of LBBB. Many clinical resources still teach the old approach — new LBBB alone triggers the cath lab. This course teaches the current standard, because the distinction directly affects what happens to your patient.
Atrial Fibrillation Rate Control
Rate control for atrial fibrillation is a Class IIa recommendation — reasonable to perform, not mandated as the first-line approach without clinical context. Teaching it as Class I misrepresents the guideline and the clinical decision framework for rate versus rhythm selection. This course presents it accurately, with the evidence base that supports the recommendation class.
Heart Failure: H-ISDN
Hydralazine-isosorbide dinitrate (H-ISDN) for heart failure when RAAS therapy is not tolerated is a Class I recommendation. This is a self-directed management option APPs in heart failure practice need to know and be able to initiate — not a footnote. It is taught as Class I, because it is.
HFrEF Quadruple Therapy
The four pillars of guideline-directed medical therapy for HFrEF — ACEi/ARB/ARNi, beta-blocker, MRA, and SGLT2 inhibitor — are each taught with their individual Class I indications, dosing targets, contraindications, and monitoring requirements. Gaps in GDMT implementation are one of the leading causes of preventable heart failure hospitalization.
Built by a Clinician in Active Practice — Not Archived When Written
Clinical guidelines in cardiology change. The 2022 ACC/AHA Heart Failure Guidelines reclassified HF stages, updated GDMT evidence, and elevated SGLT2 inhibitors to Class I. The 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines significantly revised rhythm control recommendations and catheter ablation indications. A course built in 2020 that has not been updated since may still teach management that the current ACC/AHA has superseded.
Paul Logan sees cardiology patients at WellSpan Cardiology every week. When guidelines update, he is practicing against them — not reading about the changes in a summary article. The Academy curriculum is reviewed against guideline updates as they are published.
- All lessons built against current ACC/AHA guideline publications, cited by year
- Class of Recommendation and Level of Evidence stated for every management recommendation
- Curriculum reviewed against major guideline updates as published
- Common teaching errors corrected: LBBB/STEMI, AF rate control classification, H-ISDN Class I status
- Instructor maintains active cardiology practice — guideline knowledge is applied weekly, not archived
Complete Content — No Background Knowledge Required
The APP Cardiology Academy is a self-paced program. Learners work through lessons without an instructor present to fill in gaps, clarify ambiguous slides, or add clinical context. This creates a specific design requirement: every lesson must be complete and self-explanatory as presented.
All diagrams and clinical decision tools are fully labeled. All abbreviations are defined on first use. All drug references include generic name, mechanism of action, and clinical indication. No element of a lesson requires outside knowledge to interpret.
This matters because of how these lessons are actually used: by an NP reviewing the heart failure lesson at 5:30 am before rounds on their first week in a new cardiology role. That learner cannot pause the video and ask a question. The lesson needs to be complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the APP Cardiology Academy built on the ACC Core Curriculum?
Yes. All 16 lessons map directly to ACC Core Curriculum domains. Coverage verified against all 14 ACC competency tables.
Which ACC/AHA clinical practice guidelines does the Academy follow?
Each lesson is built against the current ACC/AHA guideline for that domain, including the 2022 HF Guidelines, 2023 AF Guidelines, STEMI/NSTEMI guidelines, Stable Ischemic Heart Disease, Hypertension, and Valvular Heart Disease guidelines. All recommendations are cited with Class of Recommendation and Level of Evidence.
How does the Academy handle guideline updates?
Paul Logan maintains active clinical practice at WellSpan Cardiology and applies current guidelines in patient care every week. The curriculum is reviewed against guideline updates as published.
Does the Academy prepare NPs and PAs for the CCKE?
The CCKE is built on the ACC Core Curriculum — the same framework as all 16 Academy lessons. The Academy is not marketed as a CCKE review course, but provides meaningful CCKE preparation.
How precise is the guideline accuracy?
Clinical claims are matched to current ACC/AHA Class of Recommendation and Level of Evidence. Key distinctions are taught correctly: LBBB/Sgarbossa criteria, AF rate control as Class IIa not Class I, and H-ISDN as Class I for RAAS-intolerant HF patients.
Clinically Accurate. ACC-Aligned. Built for APPs.
16 lessons, all 14 ACC Core Curriculum domains, current guidelines — built by a clinician who practices them every week.