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Are you a health care provider who works in a critical care environment such as ICU, the emergency department, PACU or prehospital? This course may be for you. Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) courses are designed to teach participants to manage the first ten minutes of a cardiac arrest. Physicians and other healthcare professionals who respond to cardiovascular, respiratory, and other emergencies are encouraged to attend. Before attending an ACLS course the student must have a foundational understanding of core concepts such as rhythm interpretation, pharmacology, defibrillation, cardioversion, pacing, airway management, and high quality CPR before attending the course. This knowledge can be gained from studying the ACLS textbook with one exception. If the learner does not have the knowledge of ECG interpretation we recommend acquiring this skill before attending this course. ECG interpretation will not be taught at the course. This course is officially recognized by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Course Overview and Design:

The course is designed to give learners the opportunity to practice and demonstrate proficiency in the following skills used in resuscitation:

Systematic approach: BLS, Primary, and Secondary Assessments
High-quality BLS
Basic airway management
Rhythm recognition
Defibrillation
Use of medications
Cardioversion
Transcutaneous pacing
Team resuscitation concept (Team Leader and team member)

Course completion card expiration date:

All Heart and Stroke Foundation ACLS course completions cards have an expiration date of two (2) years from the date of completion. 

ACLS Course Prerequisites:

The following are the mandatory prerequisites required by the Heart & Stroke Foundation for students who take the ACLS Course:

  • The student must have a working knowledge of single lead ECG interpretation

  • A current Heart & Stroke BLS course completion card (taken within 12 months and current to the most recent Guidelines)

  • All ACLS students must successfully complete the online ACLS Pre-course Assessment with a minimum score of 70%. A copy of the assessment results must be given to the Course coordinator at the beginning of the course

  • (Recert Only) A current Heart & Stroke ACLS course completion card (taken within the last 24 months)

Required Student Materials: 

Only Heart & Stroke branded ACLS materials are accepted for use in courses where a Heart & Stroke Foundation ACLS completion card is issued. You must have an official ACLS manual to study from. The ACLS textbook can be purchased at the Heart & Stroke’s Heart Shop: https://resuscitation.heartandstroke.ca/heartshop.

CME Credits

MAINPRO Credits (CFPC)
Eligible for 0.5 Mainpro-C credits per hour of participation. A copy of your certification card needs to be submitted. For more details, visit the College of Family Physicians of Canada Mainpro website.

MAINPORT Credits (RCPSC)
Eligible for credit under Section 2 (Self-Learning Activities) “Traineeship”. Enter the number of hours you participated in the course (these will be doubled in your credits). For more details, visit the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Mainport: website.

Course Cost

Providers (2 day course) $375 plus tax
Recert (1 day course) $275 plus tax

Course Dates for ACLS :

  • May 4, 2019, Credit Valley Hospital

  • Sept 16 & 17, 2019, Credit Valley Hospital (closed course for CVH staff only)
    (recerts Sept 16th only) (SOLD OUT)

  • Aug 17 & 18, 2019, TGH, (closed course for anesthesia residents only)

  • Nov 4 & 5, 2019, Credit Valley Hospital (closed course for CVH staff only) SOLD OUT