"OB" ACLS?? Anyone heard of this?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Hi all,

Our dept has finally decided to require all L&D nurses to be cert in ACLS. We slid by without it before because we have an anesthesiologist and CRNA exclusively available to us 24/7. Anyway, they are requiring we take a mini class called "OB-ACLS". This is not the regular ACLS, and would not count as such. Some of us decided that we may as well take the real ACLS in the event that we wanted to go anywhere else, but our dept said we would still need to take this OB ACLS as well. Has anyone else ever heard of this, and if so - how is it different than regular ACLS? SG

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I'm not an OB nurse, but when I was in our hospital's ACLS class a month or so ago, the nurse next to me was leafing through the materials for the OB-ACLS class. From what I saw, it really isn't "advanced cardiac support", mostly just more of an in-depth look at how to deal with OB emergencies (like hemorrhage/DIC, etc). Of course you'll probably have more trained personnel around you to handle such emergencies (just like when using ACLS). But it's good to have the ability to start interventions when needed. As far as I know, our L&D nurses aren't required to have ACLS, but have to take the OB class. Some like to take the ACLS just for their own information.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

never heard of it. Who created the program? I know Am. Heart does ACLS.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, , Home health, Education.

You may be referring to the ALSO course (Advanced Life Support Obstetrics). It's similar to ACLS but deals with obstetrical emergencies. Most of our OB nurses take the NALS (Neonatal Advanced Life Support) course as well.

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Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

The instructor where I work was just talking about a class geared just for OB nurses two days ago, and one of our L & D nurses is probably going to teach it. That will be the only way I'll repeat it. The course I took for the first time almost two years ago (after 30 years of nursing) was the worst experience in nursing I have ever had. We were thrown in with all the others who either were just refreshing or actually knew what all the acronyms meant. I vowed then I would not put myself through that ever again. BUT, if there is a class structured for OB nurses, taught by OB nurses and reserved for OB nurses, then I would reconsider.

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Specializes in NICU.

I didn't know they offered that. They make us take ACLS here. It wasn't a bother for me, because I had worked 6 years in Cardiac before I went to OB, but I felt really bad for the ones who had done nothing but OB, and were being put through it. It makes sense for someone to develop a program for OB nurses.

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Specializes in OB.

I took ACLS that was taught by a former L&D RN and was mostly L&D RN's. First we did all the normal ACLS stuff, then we did some specific drills for OB, like chest compressions on a pregnant woman, what drugs you would use etc. I found it very helpful.

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We do the full blown ACLS course every 2 years here. It's really scary to imagine having to use that stuff. We're lumped into the program with RNs from ICU/OR/ telemetry. It's like a foreign language. Except for some of the drugs (mag, epinephrine)

:nuke:

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Hi all,

Our dept has finally decided to require all L&D nurses to be cert in ACLS. We slid by without it before because we have an anesthesiologist and CRNA exclusively available to us 24/7. Anyway, they are requiring we take a mini class called "OB-ACLS". This is not the regular ACLS, and would not count as such. Some of us decided that we may as well take the real ACLS in the event that we wanted to go anywhere else, but our dept said we would still need to take this OB ACLS as well. Has anyone else ever heard of this, and if so - how is it different than regular ACLS? SG

Yes...not only have I heard about it....we teach it! It IS, contrary to what has been posted here, an official ACLS course. You receive an ACLS card and an ACLS Obstetrics CE certificate. It is a super fantastic course started by two OB gurus in Boise, Idaho.

Their names are: Theresa Standfill and Katie Schimpelphinnig.

We teach the Course at Presbyterian of Dallas four times a year. It is a super cool two day course. Especially for ER nurses wanting to ramp up their critical care skills and OB nurses wanting to ramp up their rescus knowledge. :yeah:

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I'm interested in knowing more, but a search of the AHA website didn't turn up anything for me. Can you post a link where we can get more information?

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Specializes in labor and delivery.
I'm interested in knowing more, but a search of the AHA website didn't turn up anything for me. Can you post a link where we can get more information?

Here's the link.... http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/cme/aafpcourses/clinicalcourses/also.html

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Hi, Just wanted to comment on the requirement for ACLS in OB. I have worked for the last ten years in a level three OB unit. It has always been a requirement at my hospital for all L andD and Antepartum nurses to have current ACLS certification. By this I mean regular ACLS not OB-ACLS. We take the same class as EMT's Doctors , etc. The reasoning is that we utilize a recovery room with patients who receive general anesthesia as well as spinals. The main OR/PACU requires ACLS for their nursing staff, so the standard should be the same for all OR's in the hospital.

When I took my first ACLS I sure wish it was geared toward OB. It was one of the more stressful requirement. :nurse::typing

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