Advanced Life Support Obstetrics (ALSO) Course

[dr.smurf]

anyone out there taken this course? if so, how was it? do you recommend it? did it help you on your OB rotations or future practice?

we dont take this course as a program, but some residents are pushing our program to provide it to us. however, i wanted to get feedback on its worthiness first.

thanks!

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[lowbudget]

We're required to take it as part of our program. Like anything else, the more you know... I guess it was helpful. Just so happened that the course fell on the month I was on OB, so I was already in the grove. A lot of reading, so start a little early. It covers stuff like how to read a strip, what to do if you have a shoulder dystocia, how to sew up a 3rd/4th degree, how to use a vaccuum/forcep, how to manage PIH. I dunno, lots of stuff actually.

I don't know if it's "useful" for future practice because I'm not out there, but I thought it was a good course overall, even if you're NOT interested in OB, so that you can survive when you're the doctor taking care of a pregnant woman.

 

[gungho]

anyone out there taken this course? if so, how was it? do you recommend it? did it help you on your OB rotations or future practice?

we dont take this course as a program, but some residents are pushing our program to provide it to us. however, i wanted to get feedback on its worthiness first.

thanks!

excellent course for practical info. if you know you will not do OB in practice and your program doesn't require it, i'd skip it, though.

 

[shemozart]

I haven't taken it yet (we're required to do it at the end of our intern year (yah! - soon!)) but reading through the giant binder of material, it seems like pretty basic info that would have been more useful BEFORE my initial months of OB, instead of AFTER. I'm reading through it and thinking that most of it is more of a review now instead of new info. The OB residency in town actually takes the ALSO course, but they take it before their residency begins - when it would make sense to take it!

 

[krgrov2]

I recently took this and found it very useful! I thought it was the best OB training yet. Way better than I got on my OB rotations or in med school. I think it should be required everywhere. Esp if someone else is paying - do it and pay attention!

KG

 

[binswanger]

I definitively think this course was useful. Sure it would be great to take it before or early on in your intern year but even if you don't its still a great refresher and you will be able to pick up some new stuff and stay up to date.

 

[stapedius]

Our program makes everyone take ALSO towards the end of their intern year. We do two OB months our first year, and two our second year. So most people have had one or two months of OB by the time they take ALSO. I think this is good b/c you get more out of ALSO the more you know about OB. It works for us b/c the intern on call for OB ALWAYS has a supervisor, whether it be faculty or upper level resident, who of course have already had ALSO.

 

[DOtobe]

I took the ALSO course before I did my OB rotation (I'm finishing it up tonight on call), and it was very helpful from that standpoint. I don't want to do OB, but it was definitely helpful for the rotation.

Having said that, the course is extremely LOOOONG...Our program requires us to take it, but as someone else said, I'd skip it if you don't plan on doing OB.