Is ACLS necessary for all staff members??

Nurses General Nursing

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We process approximatley 430 staff throught ACLS in a year. I am wondering if they all actually require it? I know the ICU/CCU , ED, PACU, Cath Lab staff and stepdown cardiac all do but I am now seeing Pharmacists and have heard staff in L/D will soon need it as well. Cath lab staff tell me the techs need it as well as the RN's

We then get the staff nurse on the med / surg and other units looking to transfer to ICU/ CCU taking it as a stepping stone.

MY concern is if you don't use it you lose it....

I am thinking about running classes for the staff nurse above CPR but below ACLS to make them comfortable on the units, improve assessment skills, interventions and have the ability to handle a code in the first 2 minutes until the team arrives.

This alone would probably cut down my class participation by about 200

I believe it is the hospital that says who needs ACLS or is there another governing body that does it... nothing in JCAHO?

Any information or opinions will be appreciated....

Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

Moved this to General Nsg forum for more discussion.

Specializes in NICU Level III.

No, I don't think it is. It's more of a critical care thing. If you want it, go for it though!

Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

Our L&D nurses have to take ACLS. Med surg nurses don't need it, but I am sure glad I took it before I transferred to the ICU. It did help me feel more comfortable in the few codes we did have after I took the class.

Specializes in Rural Nursing = Med/Surg, ER, OB, ICU.

In our rural hospital the RN's are required to have ACLS, TNCC, PALS, NRP and STABLE. When I graduated in May I stated these right away. Got my last certification in October Whew! We work all areas, med/surg, er, labor and delivery and special care. We all have to have up to date certifications.:uhoh3:

usually lpns and rns are required to take acls

all employees from kitchen workers to ceo required to take cpr classes

I think it's very helpful. Sure, if you don't use it, you lose it. But as a floor nurse, I'm not going to have to run a code once the team gets there, but a familiarity with ACLS will keep me calmer and better able to handle the situation until they get there, and more helpful once the code team is there.

I'm in a peds hospital now, and they're saying that next year instead of everyone taking PALS, floor nurses can take PEARS instead, which supposedly will prepare you to handle the patient until you can call Rapid Response. But considering last week we called Rapid Response and they were decidedly unhelpful and I've seen how slow "Rapid" Response can be at showing up sometimes (they do have their own patients that they have to tend to, so are understandably slower than code team), I don't want to be left holding the ball without the knowledge I need because the people that do have it won't show up.

As far as I'm concerned, more knowledge is ALWAYS a good thing.

Specializes in Cardiac, ER.

I'm confused. ACLS is a step above CPR, in that the "advanced" life support includes pushing meds, and electricity. How can a housekeeper, a pharmacists or a tech do this? Where I work only RN's, medics, and docs take ACLS, and the only RN's that are required are the ones who will be doing codes. Our med/surge RN's aren't required to be ACLS cert as they call a code and have a code team respond.

I'm confused. ACLS is a step above CPR, in that the "advanced" life support includes pushing meds, and electricity. How can a housekeeper, a pharmacists or a tech do this? Where I work only RN's, medics, and docs take ACLS, and the only RN's that are required are the ones who will be doing codes. Our med/surge RN's aren't required to be ACLS cert as they call a code and have a code team respond.

I can see a tech, in the sense that they will be around during a code, and could set up leads, assist to start IVs, compress for CPR, etc. But a pharmacist? That is weird, if for nothing else but geographically. When are you going to call the pharmacy for a code? Housekeeping? No.

Specializes in Urgent Care, Step-Down, and ER.

I think ACLS is great even though you only work on a regular med-surg floor, especially for nurses that haven't experienced a code and are afraid how they will perform during a code. So if you don't need to take it, I'd rather have you take it to prepare you better in case a certain situation should arise.

I don't think its required for other staff members to have ACLS training. It is waste of time and money. Its not even in their scope of practice to push meds during a code, unless you are an RN, NP, or MD.

Anyone ever took ATLS? I'm enrolling in the class with one of the doctors I work with. It should be exciting.

But a pharmacist? That is weird, if for nothing else but geographically. When are you going to call the pharmacy for a code?

A pharmacist is part of our code team, they draw up the meds for the nurse to push. Might be a pediatric hospital thing.

Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.

I think that anyone who wants to take ACLS should be allowed to take it. There is nothing wrong with a nurse educating themselves. And to whoever thinks that there are no codes on med/surg or L&D...you're kidding, right? Codes can and do happen anywhere and everywhere in the hospital. ACLS provides that basic understanding of how to run a code and the critical decisions and assessments that must be made right away. I personally believe that every nurse should take ACLS and PALS. You never know what situations you may get into in the future and, personally, I would like to be as prepared as possible for any situation.

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