AHA Courses
CMEDDS provides instruction in American Heart Association emergency care courses such as Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Basic Life Support (BLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). AHA-certified instructors are also clinical experts who can translate the information into real-world situations that pertain to the practitioner.
Courses of instruction generally take two days for initial certification. Ongoing certification requires the participant to complete a 1-day refresher class every two years.
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
ACLS prepares the healthcare provider to identify and manage the adult patient experiencing acute myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiac arrest. During the two-day class, certified ACLS instructors use a combination of practice, discussion and video- driven instruction to teach fundamental concepts of emergency cardiovascular resuscitation. Emphasis is placed on dysrhythmia recognition and emergency cardiac pharmacology as well as high quality basic life support.
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Managing children who are experiencing acute, potentially life-threatening conditions can be a challenging experience. PALS provides the knowledge and skills necessary to identify and treat the pediatric patient with severe respiratory distress or shock. Participants learn to perform a rapid cardiopulmonary assessment and accommodate treatment approaches for the different pediatric age groups. Over two days, certified PALS instructors use a variety of methods including discussion, video, skills practice and scenarios.
Basic Life Support (BLS)
All emergency cardiac research to date has pointed to the critical role of high quality CPR and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in emergency cardiac resuscitation. BLS certified instructors conduct short, lively and interesting courses to certify health care providers in BLS. Emphasis is placed on hands on practice rather than lecture.