Please refer to elearning.heart.org for specific course technical requirements.

Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Provider Course (ACLS) Classroom Traditional Full Course; ECC Training Centers

Original Release Date: 10/21/2020

Last Review Date: October 2023

Termination Date: 10/19/2026

Description
The Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Traditional Full Course is designed for healthcare providers who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies. This classroom course combines both didactic instructions and hands on skills practice. This course is available for students who have not taken the ACLS pre-work course. Students will participate in in simulated cases, and will enhance their skills in the recognition and intervention of cardiopulmonary arrest, immediate post arrest, acute dysrhythmia, stroke, and acute coronary syndromes.

Learning Objectives
At the conclusion, participants should be able to:

1. Define systems of care
2. Apply the BLS, Primary, and Secondary Assessments sequence for a systematic evaluation of adult patients
3. Discuss how the use of a rapid response team (RRT) or medical emergency team (MET) may improve patient outcomes
4. Discuss early recognition and management of ACS, including appropriate disposition
5. Discuss early recognition and management of stroke, including appropriate disposition
6. Recognize bradycardias and tachycardias that may result in cardiac arrest or complicate resuscitation outcome
7. Perform early management of bradycardias and tachycardias that may result in cardiac arrest or complicate resuscitation outcome
8. Model effective communication as a member or leader of a high-performance team
9. Recognize the impact of team dynamics on overall team performance
10. Recognize respiratory arrest
11. Perform early management of respiratory arrest
12. Recognize cardiac arrest
13. Perform prompt, high-quality BLS including prioritizing early chest compressions and integrating early automated external defibrillator (AED) use
14. Perform early management of cardiac arrest until termination of resuscitation or transfer of care, including immediate post–cardiac arrest care
15. Evaluate resuscitative efforts during a cardiac arrest through continuous assessment of CPR quality, monitoring the patient’s physiologic response, and delivering real-time feedback to the team

Accreditation Terms

Joint Accreditation: N/A

CAPCE: 10/20/2023 – 10/19/2026

AARC: N/A

Accreditation Statement
Continuing Education Accreditation – Emergency Medical Services
This continuing education activity is approved by the American Heart Association, an organization accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE), for 13.50 Advanced CEHs, activity number 23-AMHA-F2-0038.

By claiming CAPCE credit, the claimant acknowledges the following: I understand that the American Heart Association as a requirement of CAPCE accreditation will submit a record of my course completions to the CAPCE AMS. I further understand that my course completion records may be accessed by or shared with such regulators as state EMS offices, training officers, and NREMT on a password-protected, need-to-know basis. In addition, I understand that I may review my record of CAPCE-accredited course completions by contacting CAPCE.

Participation and Successful Completion
I. Learners will register through their training centers
II. AHA has an automated claiming system in our ECC Instructor Network
III. Cost for ACLS provider course is determined and set by Training Center

Successful completion of this CE activity includes the following:

1. Complete attendance
2. Complete the posttest with a score of 84% or higher
3. Print the Certificate/Statement of Credit

Disclosure Statement
All persons in a position to control educational content of a CE activity provided by the American Heart Association must disclose to the audience all financial relationships with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. The presence or absence of all financial relationships will be disclosed to the audience in activity materials. All unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or devices discussed will also be disclosed to the audience. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

The following authors/faculty have declared NO financial interest(s) and/or affiliations:

Kenneth Navarro, MEd, LP
Mauricio G. Cohen, MD
Edward C. Jauch, MD, MS
Sarah Livings, PharmD
Susan Morris, RN
Brian K. Walsh, PhD, RRT
Erik S. Soderberg, MS
Amber Rodriguez, PhD
Comilla Sasson, MD, PhD
Julie A. Mallory
Mark Howard

This list represents the relationships that may be perceived as actual or reasonable conflicts of interest as reported on the Disclosure Questionnaire, which all AHA volunteers are required to complete and submit. The focus is on relevant financial relationships with commercial interests in the 24-month period preceding the time that the individual is being asked to assume a role controlling content:

Sallie Johnson, PharmD, BCPS—Penn State Hershey Medical Center (Employment)
Elizabeth Sinz, MD, MEd—Sinz Healthcare Education Solutions, LLC (Other—Sole Proprietor)
Steven C. Brooks, MD, MHSc -Canadian institutes of health research (Consultant/ Advisory Board)
David Slattery, MD - Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) (Advisory Board)

Target Audiences
1. EMS

ADA Statement
The American Heart Association does not provide advice to Training Centers on ADA requirements or any other laws, rules or regulations. Training Centers must determine accommodations necessary to comply with applicable laws. AHA recommends consultation with legal counsel.
Core curriculum change requests for accessibility purposes must be scientifically based and approved in advance in writing by the AHA ECC Science & Product Development department; otherwise a student must be able to successfully perform all course requirements (skills and written tests as indicated) to receive a course completion card. Reasonable accommodations may be made, such as placing the manikin on a table at the height necessary for wheelchair- bound individuals. However the skills must be satisfactorily completed during the testing sessions.
Guidelines for accommodating students with special needs or disabilities may be found in the Program Administration Manual.