Advanced Cardiac Life Support
The American Heart Association's ACLS Course builds on the foundation for lifesaving BLS for Healthcare Providers skills, emphasizing the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR. This advanced course highlights the importance of team dynamics and communication, systems of care and immediate post-cardiac-arrest care. The ACLS course also covers airway management and related pharmacology.
In the ACLS Course, skills are taught in large, group sessions and small, group learning and testing stations where case-based scenarios are presented. Successful course completion includes demonstrating skills competency in all learning stations and passing the CPR and AED skills test, bag-mask ventilation skills test, a Megacode test and a written test. Upon successful completion, students receive an ACLS Provider card, valid for 2 years.
The course includes:
- Key changes in advanced cardiovascular life support, reflecting the 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care
- Basic life support skills, including effective chest compressions, use of a bag-mask device and an AED
- Recognition and early management of respiratory and cardiac arrest
- Recognition and early management of peri-arrest conditions such as symptomatic bradycardia
- Airway management
- Related pharmacology
- Management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and stroke
- Effective communication as a member and leader of a resuscitation team
ACLS is designed for healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest and other cardiovascular emergencies. This includes personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care and critical care units.
