ACLS Experienced Provider Course

Specialties MICU

Published

Has anyone taken it? What did you think of it? Tips for surviving the exams?

Spoke with my manager this week and he said it's something they'll pay for even though it costs a bit more than a re-certification. Looks like it may be fun, but I've heard from other nurses that they're really brutal in the practicals.

Specializes in ER trauma, ICU - trauma, neuro surgical.
It is most gratifying when experienced nurses like hodgieRN choose to encourage, teach, and mentor those who have yet to take ACLS, rather than berate and criticize. HodgieRN stresses the benefits of careful preparation for ACLS, ultimately yielding a better outcome for everyone in a 'real' code situation! Thanks, hodgie, for an excellent post!

Thank you! That was really nice to hear! I love teaching and ACLS is one of my favorite subjects. All the new nurses will one day become mentors and it is gratifying! That is one of the great things about a being a nurse...you get to pass on the knowledge to the new nursing students. When I was in school, an instructor hated me, and if I ever want to ask a general question, she told me to go read the book. Years later, she moved out of state and I never heard from the instructor again, and all that knowledge was lost. That's when I decided to teach as much as I can to student so they can become a mentor.

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Specializes in ER trauma, ICU - trauma, neuro surgical.

Yeah, do it! Take the rhythm class and get ACLS under your belt!

What about you RN_10? How have things been coming along? Sign up for any classes?

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I don't think it was too bad. Go for it!

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Specializes in ED, ICU, Education.

Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Experienced Provider (EP) [h=3]Audience[/h]The course provides training for:

• Healthcare professionals

• Clinicians

• Scientists

• Others who frequently respond to emergency cardiovascular and special resuscitation situations in their work environment

[h=3]Course Content[/h]• Expands on the core ACLS course with the 5 quadrads approach

• Special resuscitation emergencies (e.g., drowning)

• Toxicology emergencies

• Metabolic emergencies

• Deeper knowledge for understanding and treating ACLS patients

This is directly from the AHA website. Super fun learning and you also get to recert ACLS at the beginning of class.

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Suppose I should update, but I did take the EP course in January or February. It was awesome. Mega code was short and sweet as we only had 6 people in the group (including an MD fellow I work with). We got to focus on what we wanted to learn which was great. It wasn't like the first go round with ACLS where they throw everything at you and you're left with lots of questions. We had time to ask questions and go into detail about treatments, etc.

I highly recommend the course to anyone who has done ACLS once, is comfortable with the drugs/rhythms and wants to learn more.

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Specializes in ER trauma, ICU - trauma, neuro surgical.

Congrats on finishing the EP course and getting your ACLS! That's awesome! Now you can apply everything you have learned and pick apart different things in a rhythm strip and during a code. Right after I took it, I would look at rhythm strips and EKG's without reading the interpretation and then check to see if I was right. After a while, you will pick up every detail quickly.

Next time you see a code, try and stay one step ahead of the next order. I think the real test to running a code isn't knowing to give epi b/c it's been 3-5 minutes, be being able to think critically under great stress. One person may say atropine, while the other says no, we need to pace the pt. I would say most code are started by nurses/ RT's/ PCT's and it may be minutes before the doc arrives, so we have to be able to make those crucial first choices. It's awesome when you can make a split decision with everything going crazy all around you.

If this stuff interests you, I think there are advanced EP courses that go even further into EKG interpretation. The CCU/ CSU nurses can pick apart every single little abnormality in split second. See if you can make that a goal, ya know. Congrats again!

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I think taking the CCRN exam helped prepare me for the EP course. You really break down 12 leads and MI's in the EP course, and having studied all that for the CCRN exam made it really nice.

I remember one scenario we discussed involved a lady who had chest pain. They list her vitals and it says HR 60. EMS supposedly gives her nitro SL. I said to the instructor knowing someone who has chest pain is likely anxious, you should expect tachycardia. No tachycardia, you think inferior MI affecting SA node, and if they have a RVMI you don't give nitro as they're preload dependent.

And the next slide? She became severely hypotensive. They do a 12-lead, ST elevations in II, III, aVF.

Feels good to be able to put it all together! :)

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Specializes in ER trauma, ICU - trauma, neuro surgical.

Nice! That's what I'm talking about!

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Specializes in ICU.

I am having a hard time finding an ACLS-EP course, could you help me with this? How did you find your course? Are you having trouble maintaining this?

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I am having a hard time finding an ACLS-EP course, could you help me with this? How did you find your course? Are you having trouble maintaining this?

Our hospital posts up the yearly ACLS courses available, and about every month or two there's an EP course.

I don't have to retake ACLS until early next year, but I'll probably take the EP course again because it's a better experience overall, and much shorter which is really nice.

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