Advanced CPR in Canada
Advanced Cardiac Life Support is one of the most popular training programs in Canada. It is a program targeted towards health care professionals who work in clinical or medical set ups, specifically hospitals and other similar areas. Almost all health care professionals who directly provide clinical management to patients are required by their employers (the hospital) to get advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training.
ACLS training in Thunder Bay First Aid is one of our most popular programs, with majority of our students being nurses and other similar health professions. This advanced course is specifically targeted towards people who are able to management cardiac and respiratory emergencies in a medical setting. It is a longer type of program, taking two days to complete over 12 total class hours. Students need to attend all lessons and sessions to be qualified to receive the ACLS training credential.
The ACLS Curriculum
Our ACLS curriculum focuses on advanced CPR management in medical setting. That means including management techniques that involve the use of hospital equipment and medication. This requires intensive and extensive training, which is why the ACLS program takes longer to complete that our basic classes. ACLS only focuses on adult management; pediatric management is an entirely different course called Pediatric Advanced Life Support or PALS. PALS training is even longer, taking 14 hours to complete over 2 days.
Topics that are included in the curriculum are:
- Updates to the 2010 guidelines on CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC)
- Using a backboard with compressions
- Ventilating with a bag valve mask
- Manual defibrillation and cardioversion
- Adult cardiac and pulmonary pharmacology
ACLS Credentials
Training credentials that we award students are valid for a total of three years, then it expires. Expired certificates cannot be renewed, but the students become eligible to take the shorter ACLS refresher course. The refresher is only 5 to 6 hours long, compared to the full training program that was 12 hours long. After completing refresher classes, the student has to take and pass another set of certification tests to be granted a new ACLS credential.
Getting started: Introduction to the Code Team
In a hospital, there is a group of health care professionals who manage cardiac arrest or a “code”. They are called the resuscitation team, or in medical lingo, the code team. They are comprised of a minimum of 4 health care providers, responsible for the following: (1) leading the team and timing the code, (2) giving chest compressions, (3) giving ventilations, and (3) administering epinephrine and performing the pulse check. The team can have as much as 6 members.
Because this is an important concept in health care facilities, we make sure to include the resuscitation team in ACLS training. We train students in team dynamics, teaching them about the different responsibilities of the members of the resuscitation team.
Signing Up for ACLS Training
You can enroll in our ACLS program with the form below, or visit us in person. Our administrative offices are open from 8 AM to 5 PM, so you can call us with your inquiries during that time as well.