Skills Development Service- Redcliffe Hospital: ALS Course

ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT (ALS) is the provision of effective airway management, ventilation of the lungs and production of circulation by means of techniques additional to those of BASIC LIFE SUPPORT. These techniques may include, but not be limited to, advanced airway management, tracheal intubation, intravenous access/drug therapy and defibrillation. (ARC, 2015)

The RHSDS provides an ALS course for medical and nursing staff working at Redcliffe Hospital in Critical Care areas or who are members of the Medical Emergency Team.

The course is held 3 times per month on a Tuesday or Thursday morning in the Skills Development Centre. 

Pre-reading is provided on TMS and completion of a pre-test with an 80% pass mark is required prior to participating in the program. The pre-test is a multiple choice questionnaire that examines your knowledge of Basic and Advanced Life Support interventions including:

• initial response
• managing family members
• prioritising interventions
• medication used in ALS
• clinical handover and communication
• reversible causes
• crisis resource management principles
• ceasing resuscitation efforts
• ECG rhythm interpretation

The course does not have any classroom teaching components, instead, it uses Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice (Hunt etal: 2014) to enable rapid attainment of competence in resuscitation performance skills by quickly alternating between practice and direct feedback. The Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice component will be utilised for competency assessment of:

• Basic Life Support
• Effective compressions
• Safe Defibrillation
• Airway management and effective ventilation using BVM
• Team leadership
• Medication Management

Immersive scenarios are an opportunity for participants to enhance technical and non-technical skills required for effective provision of ALS. Facilitated debriefing is designed to uncover successes and challenges faced in the scenario and to explore strategies to improve personal and team performance in the future. 

Please contact your clinical educator or workforce manager to arrange a suitable date to attend.

For more information about Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice, feel free to read the RCDP Facilitator Guide.