Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Provider

Credit

A letter of attendance documenting the hours of training will be provided upon request for qualified healthcare professionals.
Nurses: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by New Jersey State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

This program has previously awarded 15.5 contact hours for nurses. This approval expired and is in the process of being renewed for 2014.

Paramedics:

This continuing education activity is approved by the American Heart Association, an organization accredited by the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS), for 12.00 Advanced CEHs, activity number 11-AMHA-F2-0119.
NJ paramedics receive credit through MICU clinical coordinator review.

ACLS does not qualify for NJ EMT CEU credit.

Description

The goal of the American Heart Association ACLS program is to reduce death and disability for patients who suffer cardiovascular emergencies such as cardiac arrest, acute coronary syndromes, and stroke. Such patients need well-coordinated interdisciplinary teams for optimal treatment and outcome. Prompt, prioritized, and coordinated team-oriented care is the cornerstone of the ACLS educational objectives. The course is intended to teach qualified healthcare providers the essential knowledge and skills needed to perform the early phases of an actual resuscitation. However, successful course completion does not guarantee or certify that the participant will be able to adequately perform advanced life support skills in an actual emergency.

The core of the ACLS course is completed in two days. Optional preparatory review lectures are provided for the student that requires a brief review of EKG interpretation or emergency drug actions and dosing. These lectures are not a substitute for initial training in these subjects.

Our course incorporates the science in the 2010 release of the Guidelines for Emergency Cardiovascular Care.

Prerequisites

Applicants must have a current American Heat Association BLS for Healthcare Providers card during the entire course and be physically able to adequately demonstrate BLS skills in class.
Candidates for the course must be an advanced life support provider (e.g., physician, emergency or critical care nurse, paramedic, physician assistant, etc.) who either will direct or participate in an adult's resuscitation as part of their daily occupation or routine clinical activities. Other health professionals may audit the course at the discretion of the Course Coordinator.
Our program expects students to have strong abilities in static and dynamic Lead II ECG interpretation. We offer a free ECG interpretation review session prior to each course (see below). Students who cannot demonstrate adequate ECG interpretive abilities will not complete the course. Applicants without previous ECG interpreting experience should not enroll. Knowledge of 12-lead EKG interpretation is helpful, but not necessary for course completion.
- There are several good ECG books. We find students have good experience with Basic Arrhythmias written by Gail Walraven (ISBN-13: 978-0-13-276628-9) and published by Prentice Hall. Click here for more on this publication.
Participants should be familiar with the actions and dosing of primary emergency drugs.
Participants must have access to a computer with Internet access connected to a printer to do the precourse homework.
Participants must have access to the current (Guidelines 2010) Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Provider Manual (AHA publication 90-1014) before and during the course.

Optional Internet-Based BLS for Healthcare Providers Renewal With In-Person Skills Test

Since students must have a valid professional-level CPR card during the course, we offer this option to save time, travel, and schedule difficulties.

First, purchase and complete the AHA-sponsored Internet-based training module and print the official Part One certificate. Register for the BLS Renewal Option and include the extra fee with your ACLS registration. Complete the skills testing at your ACLS course to then be issued a renewed American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Providers card. There is no extension or grace period by starting this process. Students must submit the official AHA Part One certificate as proof they completed the on-line renewal no more than 60 days prior to their skill session to be admitted to the skills testing. The on-line coursework must be done and in our possession prior to the start of your course; it cannot be done afterwards.

The skills validation must be completed before the expiration date on your CPR card or 60 days from completion of the on-line coursework, whichever comes first. Candidates must come prepared and should take no more than 15 minutes for their skill session. Students who require significant remediation will be directed to repeat a regular BLS for Healthcare Providers course.

Date(s) & Time(s) for 2014

TO REGISTER click on the date in the table below to get the course-specific registration form.

Session(s)	Time	Winter	Spring	Early Summer	Late Summer	Fall
(Optional) ECG Review	7:00-10:00 p.m., unless otherwise noted	2/13	4/3	6/3	8/14	11/17
(Optional) Pharmacology Review	7:00-10:00 p.m., unless otherwise noted	2/11	4/1	TBA	8/13	11/10
Mandatory Sessions (Click on the date to get the registration form for that particular course.)	8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.	2/22-23	4/12-13	6/26-27 (Closed for RWJMS.)	8/23-24	11/22-23

ACLS Provider References

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Fee(s)

Tuition: $210.00. Optional lectures are free to enrolled students, but pre-registration is required.

Text: $33.50 for the ACLS Provider Manual, which is required for the course, can be purchased from us, the AHA product distributors, or obtained by other means (e.g., loan).

Click here for AHA Disclaimer.