Advance Life support (ALS)

I had my ALS course April 2021. It was E-ALS due to COVID. It was help within my trust so I did not had to travel for that and it was paid from my study budget directly by my trust.

E-ALS has 5 CPD points but it is very important if you are working in hospital you should get your ALS as soon as possible because it is very important.

Everyone attend BLS course as part of trust induction and whatever happens after BLS is ALS e.g, chest compression and defibrillation is BLS but when you attempt it and what happens when you start doing it is covered in ALS.

ALS is valid for 4 years.

ALS can be booked by emailing your trust educational department or directly checking and booking from resuscitation UK site.

ALS is extensive so better give yourself sometime to study.

We were given manual and online access to study before our Face2Face workshops. I studied manual and went through online material once (I could do better by studying more)

On face 2 face day instructors went through different scenarios where ALS is applied and we practiced with simulation for basic A to E approach, cardiac pacing , Defibrillations, per arrest , cardiac arrest.

After simulations they assessed us in 2 domains , one was MCQ based and other was practical simulation test. You have to pass both of them to get certification.

For practical test you are not timed. You will be given a scenario e.g, Mr.A 25y known asthma has been feeling unwell and SOB please assess him. and you start like you do in real life and apply all the knowledge of ALS you practiced in that day. It will include assessment of your team work, leadership, clinical knowledge, chest compression , operating defibrillator etc. You either pass or you are asked to resit and feedback is provided.

For MCQ test , You will be given 30 MCQ, each having 4 options and you have to sat true or false for each statement. for example:

For CPR in adults

1. ratio is 15:2
2. ratio is 30:2
3. depth of compression is 2 cm
4. recoil is not important

You have to score at least 70% to pass, otherwise you are asked to resit within some months.

MCQs are from manual , so it is very important you study it well. You will be given 2 study leaves , one you can utilise for F2F day and other you use for online study.

I hope it was helpful, please let me know if you have any question.