I've just knocked out the didactic and written exam portions of both ACLS and PALS. After all these years, I've landed upon an amazing truth: Emergency cardiac care education is so much better if you have an ice cold Pearl in one hand. Impossible, you say?
Utilitizing the AHA's HeartCode courses, I was able to get through all but the final portions of both classes right in my humble abode. The PALS content is delivered by CD and the ACLS course is available via online download. After successfully getting through both, here's what I think about them.
The Good:
You can stay in your house. And fast forward through a few things. And drink beer. It's even relatively inexpensive. PALS ran me just over $100, not including the skills check that I'll arrange soon with a training center. The course is mostly scenario-based, with realistic scenarios and menus that allow (require) the learner to direct each assessment and intervention.
The Bad:
While HeartCode courses are not specifically recert courses, I wouldn't recommend them for the starter ACLS or PALS student. There is enough of a challenge inherent in the computer format of the scenarios. If you don't take enough time playing with the menus during the orientation period, you could easily find yourself screaming "Chest tube!" at your laptop, all the while having no idea where to go to actually insert one. You really need to know the algorithms going into the course to minimize further difficulties.
The Ugly:
The PALS Team Concept Video. What in the world? When they hired the cast of characters to simulate an actual pediatric resuscitation, someone forgot to tell these guys that, in general, emergency providers should be the ones to bring calm to a crisis situation. I can forgive the fact that each participant has perfect hair, presumably in the middle of a busy shift, but must our speech be clipped and hurried, a la ER?
Overall, these courses were winners for me. I was able to efficiently work through them, to avoid wasting as much time on areas where I felt very comfortable, and to learn new things. Thumbs up!
Utilitizing the AHA's HeartCode courses, I was able to get through all but the final portions of both classes right in my humble abode. The PALS content is delivered by CD and the ACLS course is available via online download. After successfully getting through both, here's what I think about them.
The Good:
You can stay in your house. And fast forward through a few things. And drink beer. It's even relatively inexpensive. PALS ran me just over $100, not including the skills check that I'll arrange soon with a training center. The course is mostly scenario-based, with realistic scenarios and menus that allow (require) the learner to direct each assessment and intervention.
The Bad:
While HeartCode courses are not specifically recert courses, I wouldn't recommend them for the starter ACLS or PALS student. There is enough of a challenge inherent in the computer format of the scenarios. If you don't take enough time playing with the menus during the orientation period, you could easily find yourself screaming "Chest tube!" at your laptop, all the while having no idea where to go to actually insert one. You really need to know the algorithms going into the course to minimize further difficulties.
The Ugly:
The PALS Team Concept Video. What in the world? When they hired the cast of characters to simulate an actual pediatric resuscitation, someone forgot to tell these guys that, in general, emergency providers should be the ones to bring calm to a crisis situation. I can forgive the fact that each participant has perfect hair, presumably in the middle of a busy shift, but must our speech be clipped and hurried, a la ER?
Overall, these courses were winners for me. I was able to efficiently work through them, to avoid wasting as much time on areas where I felt very comfortable, and to learn new things. Thumbs up!