How To Pass The ACLS Provider Exam!

How To Pass The ACLS Provider Exam!

Are you a healthcare provider and preparing to take the American Heart Association (AHA) ACLS Provider course? if you are enrolled in the AHA ACLS class, you might also be wondering how difficult the ACLS Provider Exam is? Our goal here at Help-A-Heart CPR is to help our student's be successful and achieve their various milestones. That's why we created this blog post to guide you along the way.

What IS acls?

The American Heart Association's Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (AHA ACLS) course has been created for healthcare providers who either directly or indirectly participate in the resuscitation of a patient, whether in or out of hospital. The ACLS course will allow providers to enhance their skills in the treatment of the adult victim of a cardiac arrest or other cardiopulmonary emergencies. ACLS also emphasizes the importance of basic life support to patient survival; the integration of effective basic life support with advanced cardiovascular life support interventions; and the importance of effective team interaction and communication during resuscitation.

ACLS Exam Preparation Hints

When you take the AHA ACLS certification course, throughout the course, the instructor will review the information that you need to pass the exam. However, we have provided a few tools and tips below to optimize your learning success. 
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​A. Review the ECG Rhythms. 
A review of the ECG rhythms is critical to success in the ACLS course. Often times, students struggle with ECG rhythm recognition during ACLS. So, if you feel that your knowledge of EGG rhythms is a bit lacking; you may to rake a ECG refresher course prior to taking the ACLS course and exam.
If you have additional experience in telemetry and ECG, this might help take a bit of pressure off when you’re going through the ACLS class. However, a review of ECG rhythms is often recommended for everyone. ECG rhythms can sometimes be a little overwhelming, so reviewing the basic rhythms and their corresponding pharmacology will just increase your confidence and your ability to be successful on the ACLS Provider exam.

B. Study the AHA ACLS Algorithms.
One of the most important things to memorize for the exam is the AHA 2020 ACLS algorithms. It is beneficial to memorize all of these algorithms so that you pass the exam with flying colors. The AHA ACLS algorithms are available in the required AHA 2020 ACLS provider manual so purchase the book prior to the class and review extensively.

The AHA 2020 ACLS algorithms are as follows:

Acute Coronary Syndrome Algorithm
Adult BLS Algorithm
Adult Bradycardia Algorithm
Adult Cardiac Arrest Algorithm
Adult Suspected Stroke Algorithm
Adult Tachycardia Algorithm
Intermediate Post-Cardiac Arrest Care Algorithm
Opioid-Associated Life-Threatening Emergency Algorithm
Unstable Tachycardia Algorithm

C. Memorize Medications and Doses
The AHA ACLS exam will also assess your knowledge and understanding of ACLS medications and dosages. In order to memorize these prior to your exam, you might want to try writing out flashcards, creating mnemonic devices, or using online quiz games.
The following are the ACLS medications you might need to know:

1. Adenosine
2. Amiodarone
3. Atropine
4. Dopamine
5. Epinephrine
6. Lidocaine
7. Magnesium
8. Nitroglycerine
9. Morphine

D. Take The American Heart Association Pre-Course Self Assessment.
The AHA ACLS pre-course self-assessment is an assessment tool with 50 questions that can be taken prior to the actual class. This self-assessment will serve as a tool to gauge your own knowledge of BLS, pharmacology, ECG rhythms, airway management, and the related AHA ACLS algorithms. The AHA ACLS pre-course self-assessment can be accessed here.

Learn ACLS Online With Help-A-Heart CPR

Are you now ready to take the ACLS exam? Getting an AHA ACLS certification has never been easier than with the ACLS online course. We offer a hybrid class in which you can take a self-paced series of online training modules. Then, just head to our training center for a brief skills practice. It’s a great way to fit training into your busy schedule as a healthcare professional and learn from the comfort of home.

If you’d prefer to learn in-person, we also offer traditional classroom courses. We have multiple convenient locations in Texas and a variety of course times to meet your training needs.

We’re here to help you get certified, so feel free to reach out. Contact us via our online form or give us a call at (210) 380-5344.