Tips On Administering ACLS Effectively

ACLS stands for Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Certification in ACLS means you know how to handle patients in a cardiac crisis, ranging from heart attacks to strokes, and everything in between. When a person comes into the emergency room, its people like you who are ACLS certified who will ultimately decide whether they live or die.

ACLS is different from BLS training in that you are able to do more with those certifications. Here's how it looks in a nutshell:

• Basic Life Support
  Basic life support is just the way it sounds. People with this certification know the basics of life support during a cardiac emergency. This certification covers basic life saving techniques, and allows the provider to use non-invasive life saving techniques only. This means they can't give any injections, incubate a patient, or cut the skin in any way.
• Advanced Life Cardiac Support (ACLS)
  ACLS providers have more training courses than BLS providers, and can do a lot more to help the patient. Most doctors and nurses interested in taking the course have already taken BLS training, and are familiar with cardiac support in general.
  
  ACLS takes it a step farther, and teaches airway management skills, how to lead a team in the emergency setting, and other essential life saving skills. ACLS providers may give injections, and use other invasive techniques.

 
Why certify in ACLS :
If you want to work in the emergency department, ACLS may be a prerequisite. Even if you have no plans to use it however, learning advanced life saving skills could come in handy no matter where you are at. Advanced life saving skills increase the chances of your patient's survival, whether it is an elderly client having a heart attack in your waiting room, or even a random stranger off the street.
 
Aside from the obvious reasons of saving lives, getting advanced certification also makes you more employable. In today's tough job economy, it's not always easy to find a great job, and there's a lot of competition. ACLS may make the difference between getting a good job, or having to wait months before you find something.
 
Certification Tips:
ACLS training is in depth and will give you a better understanding of how to save lives during a cardiac emergency. In order to get this life saving information however, you need to apply yourself to your studies.
 
You can get the most out of your studies in the following ways:

• Know yourself
  Do you do better when you have a teacher to ask questions to? Or do you work best in the quiet of your own home, where you can study? ACLS certification is available both in class room and online, so if you know how you work, you can choose where to certify that best suits your personality. Many online classrooms also allow flexible scheduling, so if you're already working long hours and are just trying to improve yourself, you can do so.
• Know how you retain things
  Do you remember orally? A tape recorder can help you remember what the teacher said. Do you remember visually? Try writing things down. Do you remember by reading? A text book on the subject may help you.

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