Acls

[logos]

What is ACLS like? Is it similar to the BLS classes such that pretty much anyone will do fine without much effort? (We have to pass it to go on to 3rd year...)

We just got a letter listing quite a few things they wanted us to go over to prepare. Made it sound like we wouldnt be able to pass it if we didnt do some reading and prepwork before the class. Of course we've had the relevant classes

Would you recomend buying the book? The letter we got seemed to suggest that it was recomended but not required (which, to me, usually means dont buy it...)

If so, better to get the "official" book or one of the others...like the pocket ones.

Not a huge deal if some prep is required, but I never even thought about it, figured it would be easy like the BLS classes (well maybe not that redicuously easy....but easy...).

Thanks!

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[colbgw02]

I did not read the book, not even one page. Then again, I didn't take the course until after I had graduated.

Regardless of whether or not you buy/read the text, I recommend buying the small, spiral-bound "Handbook of Emergency Cardiovascular Care". It has all the algorithms in it, and you'll be able to use it on the practical exam. Most importantly, you can carry it with you on the wards. In real life, if you need a reference, there's no reason to run a code without one.

 

[njbmd]

Be sure to do the Pre-Test that comes with the course. Take the book, go through it and answer each one of those questions. If you really know the pre-test, the actual test isn't bad at all.

 

[Bertelman]

Quite a few in our class spazzed about the final test, after gettin our asses handed to us on the pre-test (didn't do any reading prior). The final test was kind of a letdown. I actually finished it (25 questions) shortly after the last of the 200 people in my class received their exam.

Don't worry about knowing every possible scenario. Remember, nurses are taking this test, too. Know the big ones, like which rhythms to shock, maybe the recommended drugs for tachy v. brady.

All in all, maybe a couple notches more difficult than BLS.

 

[gotmeds?]

The thing you're expected to know before taking the class is how to identify the rhythms. Specifically, VT, VF, a-fib, a-flutter, heart blocks, SVT, and maybe torsdaes. Know what's tachy and what's brady, and know the drugs (less than a dozen). The algorithms themselves are fairly simple. It's not a hard class. I took it as EMT (not a paramedic) many years ago and managed to pass.

 

[purpleham]

Before going to our ACLS course we had to take the pretest from the CD-ROM in the book from Red Cross, and we had to have 80% to pass it. We were all 4th years when we took ACLS, but I'm pretty sure a majority of the class had to take the pretest at least twice (those EKGs can be a bitch if it's been a while). But the posttest was actually fairly easy after 2 days of code drills...

 

[DeLaughterDO]

They've changed the way they teach and test ACLS quite a bit in the past 8 or 10 years. Used to be, they would try to fail people, and the "Mega-Code" could go on and on and on until they confused the hell out of you and you would either give up or get something wrong. How many of the PEA "5 Hs and 5 Ts" do you have to pursue, really? Jeebus!

Anyways - now, with the "nicer" ACLS testing, you take a test (usually remarkably similar to the pre-test - wink, wink) and do a "Mega-code" that will usually start off with something simple, like VF/Pulseless VT and progress to Asystole, or something simple like that. I don't think I've seen ANYONE get PEA in the last 2-3 times I took the course.

Of course, now I'll end up with the "old skool" Mega-Code operator at my next renewal and I'll get creamed.

Long story short, know the basics. You won't be expected to know everything as a 3rd year student. There is always someone there to help out in the hospital setting, and even if there isn't, just remember - Call the Code team, and begin the ABCs - don't forget the airway!! The cavalry will arrive shortly.

jd

 

[emtcsmith]

Did ACLS as apart of my paramedic program...It really isn't that hard and if you made it that far in medical school you have plenty of knowledge, in fact probaby to much. So just understand the basics of ACLS and you should be fine. They made a small flip book before the new text came out and it has all the info you need I would look into getting that, and if you study make sure its the most up to date info and not old.

 

[BATiger]

Whatever you do, don't touch the table the dummy is on when defibrilating, even if it's just your clothing. I got made an example of in front of everyone, during the practice, not even the real test. This huge firefighter towered over me (I weight 105lbs) and turned red in the face screaming that I had delayed this patients care and had now made an additional patient for the team to take care of since I would have been on the ground unresponsive. It wasn't even my body, it was my white coat when I leaned toward the dummy. Do white coats conduct electricity? SO MEAN! That guy ruined my whole day

 

[Dr. Dukes]

I took ACLS as an EMT-I in a class that had some I's, some medics, a couple of nurses, and two med students. The med students did the worst, not because they were't the most prepared or the smartest, but because they over analyzed everything. The FF/EMT-P guys did by far the best, cause they had just learned the algorythms (oh, its V-Fib, do X) and didn't over analyze everything.

 

[Discobolus]

I just finished ACLS yesterday, and it wasn't very difficult at all. The pre-test on the CD is much harder than the ridiculously easy post-test that we took.