skills necessary prior to acls

[rndme]

I'm an RN, but have been out of work raising a family for the last 10 years. My last employment was as a telemetry nurse. I am looking to go back to work and would like to get ACLS certified. I've never taken it before, but have worked in telemetry. Do I need to be proficient in ECG interpretation prior to taking ACLS? I'm rusty to say the least. Is there anything else I need besides BLS, or would an ACLS course be way over my head?

[RN1982]

It would probably be best if you reviewed arrhythmias and the interventions. But your employer will probably want you to get ACLS certified too.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

I recently renewed my ACLS certification and had the newest update with a much thinner and simplified ACLS book. However, it is still imperative that you are familiar with heart rhythms including arrhythmia recognition and their treatment. That's the basis of ACLS algorhythms. There is a required pre-test prior to attending the class which also serves as a review. You need to turn in a passing score in the pre-test before you can attend the sessions. There are actual rhythm strips that you'll have to analyze or interpret in this pre-test. If you find that you're having diffciulty with the pre-test, maybe you need to brush up on your telemetry skills first. There are numerous sites on the internet that you can visit to re-familarize yourself with heart rhythms.

[luckylucyrn]

The pre-test is way harder than the actual test, so if you see that you're struggling, just use that opportunity to refamiliarize yourself with the rhythms, and then you should be fine. You mainly need to know VT/VF, asystole, etc. The hardest one to identify on the test for me was Sinus Rhythm! You just expect something to be wrong.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

The pre-test is way harder than the actual test, so if you see that you're struggling, just use that opportunity to refamiliarize yourself with the rhythms, and then you should be fine. You mainly need to know VT/VF, asystole, etc. The hardest one to identify on the test for me was Sinus Rhythm! You just expect something to be wrong.

Really, I found the blocks really ambiguous to identify especially since you only get a six second strip.

[Snow1278, RN]

I took acls for the first time in March. I had been working on the telemetry floor for about 10 months. I found that knowing how to interpret the EKG strips was a big help. I think if you review your rhythms, the easy ones and harder ones you will be ok. When you take the course make sure you pay close attention and study those algorithms. Good luck!:)

[RN1982]

I recently renewed my ACLS certification and had the newest update with a much thinner and simplified ACLS book. However, it is still imperative that you are familiar with heart rhythms including arrhythmia recognition and their treatment. That's the basis of ACLS algorhythms. There is a required pre-test prior to attending the class which also serves as a review. You need to turn in a passing score in the pre-test before you can attend the sessions. There are actual rhythm strips that you'll have to analyze or interpret in this pre-test. If you find that you're having diffciulty with the pre-test, maybe you need to brush up on your telemetry skills first. There are numerous sites on the internet that you can visit to re-familarize yourself with heart rhythms.

Yeah, that was a pretty easy course...but it was sooooooooooooooooooooo long

[BinkieRN, BSN, RN]

I found the actual test to be harder. The questions did come directly from the book but not in the areas that I had studied. I passed anyway.