ACLS this summer? Still in nursing school

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  1. Should I take it this summer or summer after graduation?

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      This summer
    • 6
      After graduation

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Specializes in Emergency, critical care, cardiovascular.

Hello everyone,

I am contemplating on whether to take an ACLS course this Summer, or to wait until the summer that I graduate. I am 2 finals away from being finished with my junior year of my BSN program. I just took a dysrhythmias course this semester and it was a GREAT course going over every type of dysrhythmia out there. We also had to do a simulation with this course. We were given scenarios and views of the monitor and we would have to determine out interventions based on that info, and we were taught the common meds that would be used for those rhythms along with their dosages.

So, with that course I feel like I would be more qualified than many other initial ACLS cert students, and think I would pass the written test. As for the megacode, I am pretty scared of it. I have heard that some instructors are harsh and have a pass/fail method; while others spoon feed you and almost guarantee that you pass like BLS. I get nervous in front of people, and feel like I would go blank during the megacode even after memorizing the algorithms.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I would wait. During nursing school (at least where I was) we were only allowed to practice as if we were BLS trained in my program whether we were ACLS trained or not. So it would have been pointless for me to become ACLS certified before I graduated because I wouldn't have been able to use it anyways. And it expires after 2 years so if you wait you'd get more bang for your buck. Just my opinion. :)

I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.

Author: Art Williams

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Specializes in Nursing Management.

If you have another year of school I would wait. Like the PP said it expires in 2 years and the class isn't cheap. I did my ACLS/PALS/EKG and Pharm class over the winter and I graduate in June. I would have waited but by getting my entire class to sign up, we got an awesome group rate also my school requires us to complete continuing education hours so we got credit for that as well.

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Wait. Like the PP said it will expire. And without a license you would not be able to push any of the drugs used during Acls anyways. And if you need it. Your hospital will pay for it.

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Wait, let your job pay for it

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I only did it while in school, because it was required for the course and it was free.

I'd wait, it's pretty expensive.

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