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7 Facts About Advanced Cardiac Life Support You Need to Know


Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is training that healthcare professionals will undergo to save lives if a cardiac event happens. When a child goes into cardiac arrest or a father falls to the floor, clenching his chest at a sporting event, ACLS training can save a life.

But a lot of people don’t know what ACLS is, and many health and medical professionals are not certified.

These facts will help you better understand why ACLS is so important:

  1. Training in these life-saving procedures is not required. A lot of professional workplaces are making training a requirement, but a lot of healthcare professionals have not been ACLS trained. What does this mean? The potential to save a life during a cardiac event is lessened.

  2. ACLS training goes beyond basic life support. Training involves advanced skills that are taught to treat patients that may go into cardiac arrest or that have heart disease and need proper support.

  3. Training is highly available, yet there are a lot of healthcare professionals that have not been trained in ACLS procedures. You can even take an online ACLS certification – there’s no reason for healthcare professionals not to be certified.

  4. The goal of training is simple: sustain life and improve outcomes. Trained professionals can keep neurological function intact during many emergency situations improving the chance of living and reducing potential damage. Stroke and heart attack victims have their outcomes greatly enhanced when a person that’s ACLS administers the proper procedures.

  5. Healthcare professionals that are ACLS certified tend to work in highly critical environments. Emergency care units, senior facilities and heart specialist hospitals are where the highest concentration of certified professionals can be found.

  6. Continuing education credits are granted to anyone that passes their certification exam. This means that healthcare professionals can become more valuable in the workplace and still receive their education credits. It’s recommended that before taking the exam, the test taker know how to properly interpret and read ECG rhythms.

  7. ACLS exams are about saving lives, and the training learned will be used in the most critical of situations. You’ll learn the exact steps to take when someone goes into cardiac arrest. Medication usage will be a big part of the exam so that professionals know which medication can be used and how much. Electric shock therapy will also be covered, along with how to perform CPR and for how long.

ACLS certification is valid for two years, and recertification is required. ACLS guidelines are routinely updated, with potential guidelines being added for children who have a history of heart disease.

Many employers are offering reimbursement for tuition when taking the exam and the certification course. Online programs are often accepted and fully reimbursed by employers, too.


ACLS training is key to ensuring that a person who goes into cardiac arrest has the highest probability of survival. The training is not required, yet many employers are requiring certification or seeking employees that have certification already.


A majority of ACLS students are already Basic Life Support (BLS) certified.



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