An ACLS cardholder is a healthcare provider who has completed advanced training in emergency assessment and invasive treatment of cardiac arrest. They are certified for a two-year term and trained to keep a critically ill patient alive through a series of algorithms. The American Heart Association recommends taking the course in person.
An Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) cardholder is a healthcare provider who has completed an American Heart Association (AHA) approved training course and is therefore approved to act as an ACLS provider. Basic Life Support (BLS), also known as basic first aid, teaches paraprofessional health care professionals, such as nursing assistants and non-healthcare workers, such as teachers and coaches, how to complete airway, respiration and circulation checks, cardiopulmonary technical basics of resuscitation (CPR) and how to use automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). An ACLS provider has successfully completed a somewhat advanced version of the training (BLS) that provides instruction in emergency assessment and invasive treatment of cardiac arrest, also known as code. These providers are physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists who typically work in an emergency or critical care setting, or first responders such as paramedics or firefighters.
Instructors in ACLS classes assume their students are already proficient in all aspects of basic life support and CPR. In addition, beginning students are expected to recognize and identify basic cardiac electrical rhythms, be proficient in starting IV lines, be familiar with medications used during cardiac arrest, and have basic procedures memorized. Student ACLS providers are trained to keep a critically ill patient alive through a series of algorithms. These decision trees are stored for immediate and thoughtful response in most situations imaginable. Algorithms are used to determine whether to initiate certain treatments, what treatments are needed, what drugs to administer, and what dosages to administer.
Training for an ACLS provider includes airway insertion, chest tube placement, and medication management for a patient requiring urgent care. Additionally, the student learns to use manual defibrillators, as opposed to AEDs, based on the patient’s heart rhythms and vital signs. All treatment methods are practiced in situational exercises using dummies.
ACLS provider students are then tested in both practice tests and written exams. After successful completion of a two-day ACLS class and exams, graduates are certified for a two-year term. ACLS certification classes are offered by a variety of third-party providers, in-person and online, as well as directly from the American Heart Association. All programs and tests, however, must meet the stringent requirements of the AHA to ensure standardization and proficiency. The AHA recommends that an ACLS provider student take the course in person.
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