ACLS resources?

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

Hi guys, I signed up for an ACLS class next week to make myself marketable for future employers. I am graduating next week from nursing school with my BSN, and looking through this ACLS book is making my head spin. There is a lot of information in here! I know what I'm going to be doing all week, for sure. Did any of you find any outside resources to be helpful in studying for this exam, and if so, could you link me? Thanks! :)

[girliey023]

My best advice is to study the algorithms, drugs, and doses that are in the back of the book. Also know you heart rhythms (v-tach, v-fib, pea, etc). That is what you will need for your mega code. The written test I felt was primarily nursing knowledge and prioritization in nursing care. I didn't use any supplemental material. Just skim through the book before class and really study those algorithms and you should be fine.

[jennycRN]

If you have to focus on one thing, learn the core cardiac rhythms ahead of time. They will go over the algorithms in the class but usually it is expected that you can recognize the basic rhythms. There is an online program called 6 second EKG simulator which is good for practicing. Review your BLS as well. Enjoy the class, and hope it is a good learning experience!

[chare]

Eveything that you need to know is in the text. While some of the ACLS prep material covers nice to know information, it is not neccesary to pass. As this is your first time taking ACLS, I would recommend reading, rather than skimming the text.

After you complete the course, you might want to review the 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science as they provide the rationale for the material in the provider text.

Good luck!

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I am very familiar with my rhythms; we hit those hard in nursing school. It is just the drugs/doses/algorithms that are making me nervous. I appreciate the advice, I will definitely read through the book carefully and study hard. :)

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I just thought I'd reply back because I PASSED! :) I was the only student with no work experience in a class that was entirely RNs, and I actually scored higher on the test than any of them and generally knew the stuff off the top of my head. The class and test were easy, I just thought I had to know absolutely everything in the book so I studied for hours and hours every day. I know better for next time now!

If anyone else is looking for resources, I credit acls-algorithms.com for a lot of my success. They have a ton of practice questions, megacode scenarios, etc.