Advanced Cardiac Life Support
The American Heart Association’s ACLS Course builds on the foundation of lifesaving BLS for Healthcare Providers skills, emphasizing the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR. This advanced, instructor-led classroom course highlights the importance of team dynamics and communication, systems of care and immediate post-cardiac-arrest care. The ACLS course also covers airway management and related pharmacology.
In the ACLS Course, skills are taught in large, group sessions and small, group learning and testing stations where case-based scenarios are presented. Successful course completion includes demonstrating skills competency in all learning stations and passing the CPR and AED skills test, bag-mask ventilation skills test, a Megacode test and a written test. Upon successful completion, students receive an ACLS Provider ecard, valid for two years.
Course Covers
Primary Audience
ACLS is designed for healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest and other cardiovascular emergencies. This includes personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care and critical care units.
The American Heart Association’s ACLS Course builds on the foundation of lifesaving BLS for Healthcare Providers skills, emphasizing the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR. This advanced, instructor-led classroom course highlights the importance of team dynamics and communication, systems of care and immediate post-cardiac-arrest care. The ACLS course also covers airway management and related pharmacology.
In the ACLS Course, skills are taught in large, group sessions and small, group learning and testing stations where case-based scenarios are presented. Successful course completion includes demonstrating skills competency in all learning stations and passing the CPR and AED skills test, bag-mask ventilation skills test, a Megacode test and a written test. Upon successful completion, students receive an ACLS Provider ecard, valid for two years.
Course Covers
- Key changes in advanced cardiovascular life support, reflecting the 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care
- Basic life support skills,including effective chest compressions, use of a bag-mask device and use of an AED
- Recognition and early management of respiratory and cardiac arrest
- Recognition and early management of peri-arrest conditions such
as symptomatic bradycardia - Airway management
- Related pharmacology
- Management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and stroke
- Effective communication as a member and leader of a resuscitation team
Primary Audience
ACLS is designed for healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest and other cardiovascular emergencies. This includes personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care and critical care units.
Reference Materials
The following are quick references materials. Please click on the desired algorithm or file to expand or download.
2020 AHA ECC Guideline Highlights
Adult Tachycardia Algorithm
(American Heart Association, 2020)
Full text article: Neumar RW, Otto CW, Link MS, Kronick SL, Shuster M, Callaway CW, Kudenchuk PJ, Ornato JP, McNally B, Silvers SM, Passman RS, White RD, Hess EP, Tang W, Davis D, Sinz E, Morrison LJ.
Where to get the Textbooks
- AHA ShopCPR Online Store at https://shopcpr.heart.org
The American Heart Association strongly promotes knowledge and proficiency in all AHA courses and has developed instructional materials for this purpose. Use of these materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the AHA . Any fees charged for such a course, except for a portion of fees needed for AHA course materials, do not represent income to the AHA .