ACLS - Page 2

having read all previous post, i must say i do agree with most of them. having said that, in the facility where i work you are required to have cpr certification, and if you work in any of the specialties depts. you need the acls certification, which they offer free to our employees. on a interesting note, our facility has the acls certification review course, which you take on line, then the mega code with the instructor. furthermore, then every staff from doctors , nurses and a few rt's take the test at the same time. it strikes me funny at times when some physicians don't pass and we nurses always do

A related story...

Some of my classmates were very weirdly gung ho about getting their ACLS. They got their ACLS card even before we studied normal EKGs and arrhythmias in class. They were quite proud of themselves. My professor singled them out during lecture and they were completely silent on even the most basic questions, such as what drugs are used to treat V-fib. Whatever they did to pass the ACLS course obviously did not garner them anything useful.

Make sure you have a foundation in CPR, basic EKG and knowledge of anti-arrhythmic drugs before paying for a class.

The AHA does have an online ACLS study program BUT will require you to see an AHA-certified instructor for hands-on training and testing. I have done it and the program is quite unwieldy. Classes are definitely easier for me.

Also, my facility does not accept any CPR or ACLS certifications other than AHA's. I imagine many hospitals are doing the same.

ok, so i need to take an online or in-person class first, pass an exam then do the "megacode."

what's involved in the megacode? is it done one-on-one between a student and instructor, or in teams?

First, you arrange with a trainer the date and time of your competency testing. They should also allow time for review and practice. Then you take the online program, but allow no more than 60 days from the date you finish the online course to the date you do the hands-on. That is one choice.

The second choice is to go to a live class and do it all live, except for the test. You must take it online.

Please be sure to pay for American Heart Association ACLS only!! They have the highest standards.

I didn't have to. Either time.

an ACLS class is usually offered through an employer at little or no cost to you. My class was free minus the $30 I had to pay for the ACLS manual. Most classes are over a span of two days; my class was in one day, roughly around 10 hours. You'll go over the guidelines/algorithms, have practice stations based on the algorithms and then go through your skills stations. ACLS tests the BLS component, so you need to make sure you have a current BLS certification before you take an ACLS course. There is the megacode simulation test and then you have a written test at the end.

The class requires preparation prior to taking; you also need to be comfortable with arrhythmia interpretation because the class will not teach you how to read the rhythms.

Anyone with a BLS certification can take it, really, but it seems to be the most relevant to RN's, MD's and respiratory therapists.

I just read all your threads, which deemed themselves VERY helpful. Thank you! I googled my question and this is what popped up. My question being can non-nurses (recent nurse grads) take ACLS and cert in it. Reason being, most ER tech jobs require this certification. Again, thanks for sharing!!!!