Due to popular demand, I am now putting together a live 12-Lead ECG Instructors' Course.  I am hoping to have it finished soon, because lately I have become more and more interested helping other people become instructors.  That's exactly why I started this website. 
So, how do you become an ECG instructor?  I'm sure there are lots of ways - some intentional and some not!  So, since I am not an expert on how ALL ECG instructors come to be, I will tell you what I have learned from personal experience. 
 
First, you have to love ECG, think it's cool, think it is about the most useful non-invasive medical test around, and enjoy solving puzzles.   If you don't LOVE ECG, it's okay.  It's absolutely okay.  But, you should teach the other thing - the thing that you LOVE!      
Your students will know the difference. (I know, some of you work in an academic environment where someone has to teach whatever is on the curriculum.  You may not get much choice.  If that happens to you, get an ECG Guru to help you prepare your class!).
  
My students and the people who hire me to teach keep telling me what a great teacher I am.  But, if they somehow talked me into teaching a class on endocrinology or wound care, they would say, "Who let her in here?"
Second, you need a GREAT MENTOR.  If you aren't lucky enough to find one on your home turf, check out resources on this site.  I want all the ECG Gurus out there to chime in here - help the Newbie Gurus all you can. 
My own personal mentor was the late Donna Harden, RN.   There are not enough words to tell you what a great teacher she was.  She was a legend in our area.  She taught at a level that made you want to know more, be more like her. She dangled knowledge so high, her students stretched up to grab it. And she made us THINK.  For ourselves.  She did not see nurses and paramedics as handmaidens or ambulance drivers.  She did not believe physicians had to settle into a specialty and forget all they had learned about critical care.  
Donna herself was aided by great mentoring.  Her primary mentor, and great friend, was Dr. Henry J. L. Marriott (Barney to his friends), and her other favorite teacher was Dr. Janus Styperek. 
Third, you need some teaching experience that doesn't freak you out or intimidate you, so you can hone your style.  Consider teaching BLS classes, ECG Rate and Rhythm Monitoring for beginners, First Aid For Child Care Providers, or belly dancing.  Anything that lets you learn what kind of teacher you are, and what works for you and what doesn't.  Look for opportunities to teach subjects you enjoy to people who don't scare you.
If you are already a seasoned ECG instructor, please add your comments below to share some of your advice for new instructors. That's what this site is all about.  I would also love to hear who YOUR mentors were!
And, by the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR!