Monday, 1 June 2015

Basic Information On ACLS Certification

By Ericka Marsh


Health care practitioners must take continuing education every year or two depending on state, and look for ways to get their credit. The American Heart Association offers numerous classes that will suffice for such. ACLS certification or the advanced cardiovascular life support class gives professionals the chance to get updated information on post-cardiac arrest care and credits for licensing.

This course covers quite a bit of information such as changes in life support, proper updated CPR information, peri-arrest complications as well as cardiac and respiratory arrest situations and how to handle them. ACS or acute coronary syndrome and team dynamics with resuscitation are included as a means of covering team work and the importance of more than one set of eyes on a victim. Each of these aspects are included on the skills test and the practice portion of the exam for completion.

Each student taking this course is required to participate in learning stations where hands on skills are acquired and expressed for a grade. Failure to do so can result in a failing grade for the course, if the class room is the chosen avenue for learning. These skills are considered best learned when physically practiced, considering the new guidelines for CPR breathing by the AHA.

One course is available for those who have never had this training before, and another for returning students or practitioners already in the field who are certified. Recertification can be obtained by taking the Experienced Providers course, which offers 5.25 credit hours of continuing education credits through CECBEMS. For those taking the initial course, full credits of twelve advanced hours are offered.

No internet options are available or approved through the AHA for certifying purposes, and time frames to complete are varying. Due to the number of participants and the course being taken, it could take more or less time. The beginner course could be as long as twelve hours with only one teacher and less than 8 students. The recertifying course can take just under half of that total time for the same amount of participants to finish.

To gain full credits and pass each course, a student has to take part in and pass every component. This means showing physical exertion of AED and CPR, bag masking, completing each learning station and passing the written test. Once the passing percentage is reached, a certificate or card that is valid for two years is issued to a student.

Many different providers exist to offer these courses on the behalf of the American Heart Association. Fees that are associated with this could be different based on the provider. The AHA does not regulate this, and could include material costs and exam fees associated with the provider's time.

For more information on becoming certified in this course work, it is best to contact the American Heart Association to determine the nearest provider in your area. There are numerous businesses, private entities and companies that offer this class and are registered with AHA to do so. Be certain your provider has obtained the permission of the AHA to do so, or your credits will not be awarded.




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