Advanced Life Support ALS2 course

The course is jointly accredited by the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC).

Overview

This two day internationally accredited course has been developed to standardise the teaching of cardiac arrest and resuscitation management.

The ALS course consists of lectures, practical workshops and cardiac arrest scenarios, providing the opportunity to practice skills and apply knowledge.

The course will emphasise the importance of teamwork before safe transfer into a critical care environment.

Course content

Causes and prevention of cardiac arrest
Acute coronary syndromes
ALS universal algorithm
Rhythm recognition
Airway management
Defibrillation
Blood gases
Emergency drugs
Cardiac arrest simulations
Post-resuscitation care

Objectives

Participants will be able to:

Understand the causes of cardiorespiratory arrest in adults
Identify patients at risk of cardiorespiratory arrest
Identify and treat acute coronary syndromes
Practice and demonstrate the techniques for airway management in a simulated environment
Identify the main cardiac rhythms associated with cardiac arrest
Identify the indications for defibrillation and demonstrate safe defibrillation in a simulated environment
Use various emergency drugs in the appropriate clinical settings
Practice and demonstrate transcutaneous cardiac pacing in a simulated environment

Eligibility

Registered medical practitioners with minimum PGY 2
Nurses working in critical care areas such as intensive care, coronary care, emergency departments, perianaesthesia & recovery, MET teams, and cardiac arrest teams
Critical Care paramedics

Prerequisites

Competency in basic life support

Assessment

Assessments are based on clinical scenarios that allow the participants to demonstrate the core competencies that have been taught on the course. These include a multiple choice questionnaire, airway management, safe defibrillation, and fully integrated cardiac arrest management.

The ALS provider card will be issued by the Australian Resuscitation Council after successful completion of the course. The card is valid for four years, and is recognised Australia-wide and throughout the UK and Europe.

Course history

The original Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course was developed by the American Heart Association in the 1980s. In 1990 the Resuscitation Council (UK) formed a multidisciplinary body, the Advanced Life Support (ALS) course subcommittee, to develop a standardised national course teaching the most up-to-date resuscitation guidelines

Accreditation

The Royal Melbourne Hospital delivers the course jointly accredited by the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC).

The course is accredited for quality assurance (QA) and Continuing Medical education (CME) points with multiple medical colleges.

ANZCA CPD Approval

Category 3, Level 2 = 3 credits per hour
2 Day Course = 9 hours x 2 Days = 18 hours

Approval number 168

Cost

Costs are in Australian dollars and include GST.

Consultant or GP: $1,760
HMOs and registrars: $1,320
Nurses and paramedics: $900
RMH employees: Contact Anaesthesia Supervisors of Training