How to get an ACLS certification?

Do you think that once healthcare providers start working, they no longer need to study? The answer here is no. Education never stops, especially for a medical professional. Healthcare processes keep getting updated to help with faster recovery. Hence courses like BLS and ACLS come to the forefront. The ACLS is an advanced set of skills. Various healthcare professionals should take this course to focus on cardiac life support. You will need to take an ACLS certification course and pass an examination. This article discusses the benefits of a Online CPR Certification professional. You will also read about ACLS and the people who should consider taking the course.

What are ACLS and its teachings?

The American Heart Association founded ACLS in 1980. They came up with this course to develop and promote the use of advanced healthcare workers. The goal of ACLS was to provide healthcare professionals with standard, evidence-based guidelines. ACLS stands for Advanced Cardiac Life Support. It focuses on managing cardiac arrhythmias, resuscitation, airway management, and other life-saving skills. Healthcare professionals can recognize and respond to life-threatening medical emergencies effectively. ACLS also focuses on team dynamics and communication between professionals. This course teaches the below points in detail:

1. You can recognize and assess cardiac arrest. Timely assessment helps in a higher revival rate. The course also includes using an automated external defibrillator.
2. An irregular heart rate may seem normal to many people. It can help you identify and treat life-threatening heart ailments. But it is a symptom that indicates an upcoming cardiac arrest.
3. The course discusses the Heimlich maneuver. It assists in managing airway and breathing emergencies. You also learn other techniques to help a choking patient.
4. Through an ACLS course, you learn about over-the-counter and prescription drugs. You can give medications for cardiac and respiratory issues with the right course. 
5. It helps you in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). ACLS teaches all three forms of CPR.
6. By taking this course, you learn to use advanced airway management devices. You know the mask-in-bag technique to deliver oxygen to a patient.
7. Your recognition and stroke management improves after taking the course.
8. It develops a better understanding of heart blockage in the students.
9. The human body shows signs like fainting and panting right before cardiac arrest. The course helps you in assisting a patient suffering from these.
10. It lets you understand ethical and legal issues related to providing care.

Who should take an ACLS certification?

As ACLS is only for healthcare professionals, bystanders do not qualify. If you wish to take this course, you should take the BLS certification followed by field practice. The healthcare industry is vast. Many people in this field may never need these skills. But, the below-mentioned could benefit from them.

1. Paramedics: Paramedics provide advanced medical care in emergencies. A healthcare online CPR certification and ACLS help them with comprehensive knowledge.
2. Nurses: Nurses play a critical role in the care of patients. ACLS certification equips nurses to save a patient’s life.
3. Physicians: The first person you seek medical help from is a physician. Hence knowing ACLS is mandatory for them.
4. Respiratory Therapists: Respiratory therapists provide breathing and lung-related care to patients. They, too, need this certification to help someone from breathlessness and choking.
5. Dentists: Dentists work with anesthetists that can react with a patient. In such emergencies, they, too, need ACLS skills.
6. Physician Assistants: Physician assistants provide medical care to patients. They may need to jump in and help with a cardiac arrest case in the waiting room.
7. Pharmacists: Pharmacists are often the first line of defense in a medical emergency. They usually have people visit them with symptoms of ongoing cardiac arrest.
8. Nursing Assistants: Nursing assistants provide care to patients in various settings. They must stay prepared for the worst, and ACLS skills help them.
9. Radiographers: Radiographers use imaging to diagnose and treat patients. People visiting them already have specific medical ailments. These patients may need immediate help if they collapse.

How does CPR benefit healthcare workers?

CPR is an emergency medical procedure. It restores a person’s breathing and circulation when the heart stops. It combines chest compressions and rescue breaths. Together these movements deliver oxygen to the brain and other vital organs. The history of CPR dates back to the 1740s. A French doctor developed the technique of manual chest compressions. In the late 1800s, doctors combined chest compressions with artificial respiration. They created a more effective strategy. In 1960, Peter Safar and James Elam developed the modern version of CPR. While many bystanders use CPR, it also helps healthcare workers in the following ways.

1. CPR equips healthcare workers to provide life-saving care. It works during drowning and cardiac arrest.
2. Early identification can help revive a patient faster. It increases healthcare workers’ ability to recognize and respond to sudden cardiac arrest. It also prevents damage to their body.
3. CPR can quickly restore a standard heart rate and blood flow to vital organs. It can reduce the chances of death or permanent brain damage in the event of cardiac arrest.
4. It helps to maintain the airway, and you can even check for signs of choking. Effective airway management makes your efforts count. It enables the patient to breathe better upon reviving.
5. CPR provides new healthcare workers with confidence. They will not shy away from an emergency.
6. When healthcare workers know CPR, they can also ask for a raise or job promotion.

Conclusion

A healthcare professional’s job is never complete, and neither is their education. Nurses and people working for the EMTs may not have experience with cardiac arrest. Hence regular training and practice are a must. It helps them respond faster to a critical situation. Along with ACLS, professionals should also take a healthcare online CPR certification. Both courses come with a two-year validity. You can always take recertification from the same institution to continue practicing. The American HealthCare Academy provides you with up-to-date courses on all life-saving courses. They have tutors from the best institutes who put together the latest courses for you. Log onto the AHCA website and explore the fantastic world of life-saving skills.