My nursing career started on a Medical-Surgical floor. This unit required only Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. Some nurses obtained their Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) if they planned to transfer to an ICU unit or a telemetry unit. After the cross-country move, I worked on an Orthopedic floor and again recommended a BLS. In 2020 I transferred to a respiratory/medical/telemetry. This unit required both ACLS and BLS.
Why did I need ACLS now?
After years of being a Med-Surg nurse, the Respiratory trained us as Telemetry nurses. Every hospital is a little different. The two facilities I worked at only require ACLS for those who worked in Progress Care Units and Intensive Care Unit. Other hospitals required all Nurses to maintain both BLS and ACLS no matter the unit.
ACLS v BLS
Let’s start with a review of the BLS. The BLS reviews what to do if a person is unconscious, either pulseless or not breathing. The class explains when and how to perform compresses, use the Ambu-bag and the defibrillator. The course is usually a few hours and completed in an afternoon or morning. Case studies review each potential event through computerized simulation. The class ends with solo and group compressions on a manikin to ensure you have the correct depth and rate.
Now, the ACLS goes into a more in-depth coverage of the cardiac rhythm. From nursing school to the present, I never really had to do cardiac rhythms. I learned the parts of the beat, what normal is and how to read the rate. I had to teach myself how to read and interpret cardiac rhythms. These classes run one to two full days. ACLS goes deeper into a code’s occurrence, including the different algorithms, when, and how often to give medications. One person, especially new to the ACLS, could become overwhelmed. But let me assure you on two things: one, an algorithm on most crash carts, or you can carry one as a reference, and two, you will never be alone in these situations. Once a person is unconscious and a code activated, doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, everyone will be in the room.
The BLS initiates the code. You find someone not breathing, and you begin activating the code and begin CPR. When the crash cart and ICU nurses show up, the ACLS comes into play.
The BLS and ACLS are two different certifications, and to acquire ACLS doesn’t mean you don’t need the BLS. They are two integral parts of the training necessary to understand and run a code scenario. Suppose an ACLS has not required on your unit. It’s still something to investigate if you’re interested. So, do you have a BLS or both?