Acls Online

Specialties Cardiac

Published

I though I remembered a link to the American Heart Association that permitted you to take their ACLS test online and print a certificate and then take the hands on at a facility and mail both to AHA and they in turn send your ACLS provider card to you?....can anyone send the direct link to register for the test as I have been unable to find it on the original American Heart Assoc. site?

Thanks for any help

Specializes in Utilization Management.

you might try this, but i think you study this online and then get tested in person. you might trying calling the aha for clarification.

heartcode® acls anywhere®

complete the 10 core cases and exam on your own computer, attend a skills check-off at an aha training center or just enhance your skills by practicing and receive immediate feedback.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3019205

heartcode acls provides an alternative training solution for the busy professional. it's the only e-learning system where a successful outcome results in an aha course completion card

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3018426

Specializes in ICU/CCU (PCCN); Heme/Onc/BMT.

Call be old-fashioned, but I think I'll stick to taking the "in person" ACLS re-cert classes. :chuckle

Ted

You can do a portion of the class online. You then print out certificate and take that to a training site and they test you over the megacode. They will then give you your card.

Im against this training........

Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

Im against this training........

Even for a someone who's been coding people for 20+ years?

I renewed my BLS for Healthcare Providers this way. It was great.

Even for a someone who's been coding people for 20+ years?

I renewed my BLS for Healthcare Providers this way. It was great.

Well you might be an exception, a minority, to this type of class. Im an instructor in ACLS and a nurse was saying to just give her a card cause she's takin acls for 12 years now.....She works stepdown, maybe 1 code a month, they usually transfer to ICU before they code.....Well she didnt know what color lidocaine or atropine or etc was........and she didnt know how to open the box correctly, you know when you open the wrong end, they drugs dont come out....

So i think although people like you and myself have no problems passing ACLS, the majority do. So we should suffer through a class to ensure the rest out there get the proper training. Also, take the ACLS-EP to give you more info....

Just my opinion.

i agree. sometimes, the simple things are easily taken for granted.

Well you might be an exception, a minority, to this type of class. Im an instructor in ACLS and a nurse was saying to just give her a card cause she's takin acls for 12 years now.....She works stepdown, maybe 1 code a month, they usually transfer to ICU before they code.....Well she didnt know what color lidocaine or atropine or etc was........and she didnt know how to open the box correctly, you know when you open the wrong end, they drugs dont come out....

So i think although people like you and myself have no problems passing ACLS, the majority do. So we should suffer through a class to ensure the rest out there get the proper training. Also, take the ACLS-EP to give you more info....

Just my opinion.

I think there are plenty who can benefit from the online courses. My group, anesthesia, comes to mind immediately. We deal with cardiorespiratory physiology and pharmacology constantly, and obviously have no trouble with airway management and EKG interpretation. It's literally part of our everyday routine. The main reason we do an ACLS update every two years is to keep up with changes in accepted protocols. We do it now with a self-review and testing with an instructor. This can just as easily be accomplished with an online or CD-ROM based program plus the skills check.

ACLS in 2007 is NOT the ACLS of 2005

There are several ACLS courses online today. In spite of the fact that the complexity of previous ACLS guidelines may have contributed to the problem of poor courses, research in the early 1990s demonstrated that poor retention of skills did not originate with the learner or the program. The problem was with the instructor who talked too much, did not allow enough time for practice, and did not correct errors in performance.

Lecturing is an economic way to communicate information to large groups. However, absorbing large amounts of information through passive listening is difficult and does not translate to skill.

Research has established that multimedia (videotape Flash etc..) coaching self-instruction produces better performance in the field than instructor-led courses.

The FACT remains the only ACLS procedure linked to survival is Defibrillation and Compressions. If your looking for which end of the epi is up, chances are your patient has expired! the new ACLS is embracing HIGH QUALITY CPR and rapid defibrillation. ACLS is okay to be delivered online, its no longer the definitave treatment for VSA.

My two cents

Just for the record, I took that online part and finished it last night. That is no easy course. I started it in May. I thought it was too hard quit and scheduled myself for the live class. I ended up missing the live one (that's another post). I went back to the online version and spent an entire day 12+ hours on it. The simulation fails you for EVERY little thing. Real life instructors can prompt you or even just reword a question. Because it was so particular I ended up going through every scenario 4 or 5 times. Believe me I am now ready for the skills checkoff.

Anyone who doubts the effectiveness of this online version should check it out first. I think the negativity is more because of the venue (pc-phobia) than anything else.

As for that ACLS instructor, your comment is ignorant.

I never even bother to open a box from the correct end. I rip the crap out of it. It's a code for crying out loud. Get a life. I also do not need the colors because I can read the big black letters on the box.

As previously mentioned, I just read the whole 2010 ACLS book and there is no mention of passing ACLS being based on opening a box or knowing the colors of the med boxes in the crash cart. You could, however, petition the American Heart Association to include it in the next update if you feel it will increase the survivability of the patient.

In other words,that poor nurse that told you she already knew ACLS made the fatal mistake that I learned in college not to make. Let the instructor think they are teaching you something or they will target you. She should have played dumb and fed your considerable ego. :rolleyes:

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Some hospitals are now requiring that you take your renewal courses in person (as opposed to online), even if the online course is from the AHA or from a source that your institution accepts. Just something to consider!

Specializes in Emergency Department.

Hi! I am normally not a big fan of online classes but I loved the ACLS heartcode online. I did my recert with it this year and found it to be very useful. After completing ten cases and the written test you have to go to an instructor and practice a megacode in person. The card looks absolutely the same. Even after you finish the class you can still use the program to refresh your skills and practice whenever you want. It gives you feedback as well.

+ Add a Comment