ACLS Certification

Health care professionals who already hold their Basic Life Support (BLS) certification often opt to take the Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification. For some medical personnel such as those employed in the ER, intensive or critical care departments including cardiac units, having their ACLS certification is usually a requirement of their job. Emergency medical service personnel including EMTs, paramedics, first responders and firemen should also hold it.

How long does the ACLS certification last for?

It can depend on where you obtain your qualification. The AHA ACLS certification exam is valid for a period of two years. You must re-certify in order to keep your qualification valid. This is very important as advances in medical science mean that recommendations on the best methods of cardiac care change and these changes can directly impact how healthcare professionals work in their day to day roles. For example the administration of the drug, Atropine is now not included in the cardiac arrest algorithm.

What are the ACLS algorithms?

Cardiac arrest is usually caused by very specific problems and the ACLS algorithms provide an illustrative flow chart designed as a prompt for the sequence of treatment in a patient under specific conditions. Students are required to learn these flow diagrams by heart – after all you wouldn’t want to have to study them in the middle of resuscitation.

The algorithms help you to focus on the most important components of the resuscitation i.e. airway/ventilation, effective CPR, use of defibrillator where relevant and where appropriate the medications that would be suitable.

Once you have passed your ACLS certification you should think of the ACLS algorithms as an aide memoir but always remember that they are for guidance purposes only. In an actual resuscitation the skills and experience of the lead physician will come into play. He or she may deviate from the algorithm when it is appropriate and in the best interest of the patient.

Apart from ACLS algorithms what else will you learn if you take an ACLS course?

The research continues to prove that the provision of quality and timely CPR in all cases of cardiac arrest and early defibrillation in some cases are the most significant factors impacting on the casualty’s chance of survival.

Effect communication within the resuscitation team is vital. Performing chest compressions properly is labor intensive so team members should take turns doing chest compressions.

Other components of the class are;

* Post cardiac arrest care
* Airway management
* Systems of care
* Pharmacology – which drugs to use and when

Students will also learn how to recognize and manage those conditions that are likely to lead into a cardiac arrest. Peri-arrest conditions include but are not limited to stable and unstable tachycardia’s, patients suffering from acute pulmonary edema, hypertension and shock. Those with symptomatic bradycardia and obviously those patients who have been resuscitated as they could suffer a second and potentially fatal cardiac arrest.

Why is team communication taught in an ACLS class?

The patient’s best chance of survival depends on a team of well trained professionals working together quietly and effectively. The team cannot afford to panic as then mistakes will be made which could lead to the death of the patient.

Some people ask why highly trained professionals such as senior doctors with plenty of cardiac care experience attend the same ACLS training courses as say a nurse who is not authorized to order medications or start an IV. The reason is very simple.

In order for a team to work effectively, each member of the team must understand what tasks the other team members are allowed or not allowed to do. It is not possible to train a team on how to respond to every individual emergency. Resuscitations by their very nature are often unpredictable not to mention complex. But you can train people to communicate effectively and work as a team and this will help every resuscitation attempt work smoother.

It is also useful to have nurses and other staff members who are not authorized to complete certain procedures educated in how they should be performed. More than one nurse has saved the life of a patient and the career of the physician in charge by alerting them to an IV being inserted incorrectly, the wrong drug dosage being administered or when CPR is not being preformed adequately. Every member of the resuscitation team has a job to do and it is only when all those jobs are conducted in harmony can you expect the patient to survive.

Where should you train for your ACLS certification?

There are many providers offering ACLS certification classes. Some companies provide access to online courses but we at the CPRCertificationGuide.com believe that you should study at the American Heart Organization courses. The AHA is committed to ongoing research and is responsible for producing the CPR guidelines. Their training instructors are experts and up to date with all medical advances in this area. Why not learn from the best in the field?