This course has 8 parts (plus References, Standards & Supporting Documents). Each part has a quiz at the end, which needs to be completed.
Pre-requisites ALS 1
- Competent in Basic Life Support (Practiced and assessed during scenarios)
Desirable
- recognition of shockable and non-shockable rhythms, including various tachycardias and bradycardias.
Pre-requisites ALS 2
- Competent in Basic Life Support (Practiced and assessed during scenarios)
- Competent in recognition of shockable and non-shockable rhythms, including various tachycardias and bradycardias.
- Participants must complete a pre-course written theoretical assessment to be presented at the start of the program (but will not form part of overall theoretical pass mark)
Program Content and Aims
The program aims to develop theoretical knowledge and practical competence in the provision of evidence- based ALS for adult patients through:
ALS 1 Participants
- Recognition, assessment, and management of the critically ill or deteriorating patient using a structured ABCDE approach.
- Basic Life Support (BLS) with emphasis on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality and minimising time to early defibrillation (including modifications for pregnant patients)
- Airway management, including adjuncts, identification of foreign body airway obstruction.
- ANZCOR recommendations for safe delivery of Manual Defibrillation
- Teamwork and communication including principles of Crisis Resource Management (CRM)
- ANZCOR recommendations for post-resuscitation care
- Legal and ethical issues in resuscitation
- Involvement of and communication with family in resuscitation management
ALS 2 Participants
- Recognition, assessment, and management of the critically ill or deteriorating patient using a structured ABCDE approach.
- Basic Life Support (BLS) with emphasis on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality and minimising time to early defibrillation (including modifications for pregnant patients)
- Airway management, including adjuncts, identification of foreign body airway obstruction.
- ANZCOR tachycardia, bradycardia algorithms, and cardiac arrest algorithms for management of shockable and non-shockable arrests
- ANZCOR recommendations for safe delivery of Defibrillation and External Cardiac pacing
- Teamwork and communication including principles of Crisis Resource Management (CRM)
- Ability to team Lead
- ANZCOR recommendations for post-resuscitation care
- Legal and ethical issues in resuscitation
- Involvement of and communication with family in resuscitation management
Assessment ALS 1
Skills assessment
- Adult Basic Life Support
- Recognise and respond to clinical deterioration.
- Ability to apply the “ABCDE” patient assessment.
- Advanced airway management techniques
- Manual defibrillation
Assessment ALS 2
To complete the program, ALS 2 participants must successfully complete all clinical assessments and pass the final theoretical component.
Skills assessment
- Adult Basic Life Support
- Recognise and respond to clinical deterioration.
- Ability to apply the “ABCDE” patient assessment.
- Advanced airway management techniques
- Timely recognition of common dysrhythmias
- Manual defibrillation techniques with confident recognition of shockable rhythms
- Cardioversion
- External cardiac pacing
- ANZCOR ALS recommended algorithms and drug therapy.
- Post resuscitation care.
Clinical assessments are outlined in appendix 1.
Theoretical assessment
- During simulations and scenarios, participants must demonstrate their ability to correctly identify and follow ANZCOR ALS algorithms.
- ALS 2 participants will complete an end of course written theoretical assessment. The pass mark for the written assessment is 85%.
Remediation
Skills:
- Failure to successfully complete one of the clinical assessments during the program results in review and reassessment.
- Failure to successfully complete more than one of the clinical assessments during the course results in the recommendation for repeat of the program.
Theory: ALS 2
Failure to gain an 85% pass in the supplementary paper results in the participant being invited to attend a full program.
Failure to gain an 85% pass in the theoretical component, the participant will be invited to sit a supplementary paper on another day.
