If you’re a healthcare provider, then you may know that you need to complete additional training courses on a regular basis. Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support training, also known as ACLS and PALS, are the advanced levels of training received for the assessment and care provided after initial basic life support. It is the training received by healthcare professionals like nurses, physicians, paramedics, anesthesiologists, and dentists.
Unlike Basic Life Support (BLS), which provides the basic principles of CPR & AED use and other lifesaving skills necessary for lifeguards, coaches, teachers, and other professionals, ACLS and PALS are designed for people with medical backgrounds. Let’s learn a bit more about the ACLS and PALS certifications!
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Certification
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification offers an advanced and systematic approach to pediatric assessment and resuscitation. This program equips health service providers with the knowledge and skills required to treat critically sick infants and children.
The certification is required by anyone responding to emergency cases and includes pediatric care providers, ICU staff, emergency responders, and ER personnel. The course teaches professionals the PALS treatment algorithms, team dynamics, resuscitation, and pediatric assessment.
PALS Completion Requirements
There are two learning formats for the PALS Provider course, traditional and blended. The traditional learning course requires the completion of the 14-hour all-in-class course. The blended learning course requires the completion of the online section, followed by 9 hours of in-class training.
PALS certification has a two-year validity.
Those that use their skills regularly can do the PALS Provider renewal course with 6 hours of in-class training for the traditional course or 5 hours of in-class with a self-paced online section for those preferring the blended course.
Participants must participate in the whole in-class section of the course and complete all the sections, including performing core case scenarios. In addition, they must write and pass the exam to receive certification.
These scenarios include acting as the team leader in two core case scenarios. Additionally, you must perform well when dealing with lower airway obstruction, upper airway obstruction, lung tissue disease, obstructive shock, bradycardia, and others.
Skill sections you need to prove your abilities include infant and child CPR, AED, management of respiratory emergencies, vascular access, and heart rhythm instabilities.
What You Will Learn in PALS Training
- High-Quality CPR based on applying Basic Life Support skills to different case scenarios
- Primary assessment
- Airway management
- Secondary assessment
- Science of resuscitation
- Respiratory emergencies
- CPR coach
- Shock emergencies
- High-Performance teams
- Intraosseous (IO) access
- Systematic approach
- Arrhythmia emergencies
- Initial impression
- Post-cardiac arrest care
Here’s a YouTube short covering the essentials on how to insert an OPA to master the airway management techniques.
Preparing for a PALS Course
It’s far easier to get PALS certification if you have already mastered BLS skills for infants and children. You also need to understand the different heart rhythms and how to use the various airway management tools. In addition, it is essential to know the drugs used in PALS algorithms and flowcharts. Finally, it would help to familiarize yourself with the Systematic Approach Algorithm and the “evaluate-identify-intervene” sequence.
Register for a Training Course
Want to complete ACLS, PALS or a BLS training course? Contact us today to get registered!
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certification
On the scene of an accident or medical emergency, anyone with CPR or First Aid knowledge can provide basic life support techniques until medical professionals arrive. When paramedics arrive, they have further training to offer advanced cardiac life support methods. They hold ACLS certification, allowing them to confidently work with the patient as they manage their airway and initiate IV access. They can also understand emergency pharmacology and read and interpret electrocardiograms. All medical professionals, including paramedics, doctors, dentists, and pharmacists, need ADLS certification.
Providing the Chain of Survival for ACLS
Even people with ACLS certification need to know the chain of survival for a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest which entails using basic life support until the patient can get more advanced help. These reactions help reduce the mortality rate. The links include quick access, early CPR, early defibrillation (use of an AED), and then followed with ACLS methods.Learning EKG Interpretation
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification provides participants with the added skill of interpreting electrocardiograms or EKGs. For example, when a heart is in an arrhythmia, the attending medical professional must determine the type of arrhythmia before providing defibrillation. For instance, the two arrhythmias which respond well to shock treatment with an AED are V-Fib and V-Tach. It is up to the team leader of the advanced care team to read the EKG and integrate it with the information provided by the patient’s vital signs to determine if they must give the shock treatment.
Further Methods of ACLS Support
ACLS training also entails using airway devices and preparing the patient with multiple intravenous lines to enable the quick and safe administering of ACLS drugs. The most commonly used drug in these cases is Epinephrine (adrenaline) which assists the heart’s output and helps blood flow to the muscles. Another widely-used drug during ACLS emergencies is Amiodarone. It has antiarrhythmic properties, which help regulate irregular heartbeats. However, it can have significant side effects and is usually used in severe instances where nothing else is likely to work. Medical professionals working with cardiac arrest victims will customize treatment according to a checklist they walk through. These are known as the Hs and Ts of cardiac arrest causes. For example, the Hs from the memory aid includes Hypoglycemia, Hypovolemia, Hypoxia, Hydrogen ions (acidosis), Hyperkalemia, and Hypothermia. The Ts checklist includes Tablets or Toxins, Trauma, Cardiac tamponade, pulmonary embolism (Thromboembolism), Tension pneumothorax, and myocardial infarction (Thrombosis). ACLS certification remains valid for two years, and you can take a blended or traditional course. Providers who are confident in their skills can then take a renewal course. After completing the online section, the in-class section takes 10 hours for the entire provider course and 6 hours for the renewal training. The all-in-class training takes 14 hours for the full provider course and 8 hours for the renewal training.
Getting PALS and ACLS Certification
Anyone wanting to advance to various hospital or medical facility positions should acquire PALS or ACLS certification. For both these certifications, you should first have the knowledge provided by CPR & AED and Basic Life Support training to make it easier to move on to the more advanced training.
Whatever your level of training, you can contact us at Coast2Coast to help you find suitable courses and classes to help you achieve your goals. Your certification can do more than help you save the lives of infants, children, or adults; it can also help you advance your career.
