Advance Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Course


The AHA’s ACLS course builds on the foundation of lifesaving BLS skills, emphasizing the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR. The hands-on instruction and simulated cases in this advanced course are designed to help enhance their skills in the recognition and intervention of cardiopulmonary arrest immediate post-cardiac arrest, acute arrhythmia, stroke, and acute coronary syndromes. This course Reflects new science and education from the American Heart Association Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) 2020.

Audience: For healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies and for personnel in emergency response.

What does this course teach?

  • Apply the BLS, Primary, and SecondaryAssessments sequence for a systematic evaluation of adult patients
  • Perform prompt, high-quality BLS, including prioritizing early chest compressions and integrating early automated external defibrillator (AED) use
  • Recognize and perform early management of respiratory arrest
  • Discuss early recognition and management of ACS and stroke, including appropriate disposition
  • Recognize and perform early management of bradyarrhythmias and tachyarrhythmias that may result in cardiac arrest or complicate resuscitation outcome
  • Recognize and perform early management of cardiac arrest until termination of resuscitation or transfer of care, including immediate post–cardiac arrest care
  • Model effective communication as a member or leader of a high-performance team
  • 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
  • Recognize the impact of team dynamics on overall team performance
  • Discuss how the use of a rapid response team or medical emergency team may improve patient outcomes
  • Define systems of care

Course Completion Card Type

American Heart Association ACLS course completion card, valid for 2 years.