ALS certification in the UK is provided by the Resuscitation Council UK. It is a certification which every medical professional must have if you are looking for a job in the UK or the NHS. It is a necessary skill which every hospital or recruitment agency is looking for in the CV of applicants applying for a new job or a change in job. In this blog I would like to provide some insight into the course, what to expect and how to succeed in it.
ACLS or ALS
As I am from India, I can be sure that most of the candidates coming from India and other south asian nations will have ACLS certification which is provided by the AHA (American Heart Association). But unfortunately, it is not accepted in the UK. Although both courses are similar in terms of their goals and objectives , if you are planning to come to the UK you will need ALS by Resus UK.
What is the course about?
In a nutshell its “Basic and Advanced Life Support”. Before applying for the ALS course, it is advisable to complete the BLS course. BLS courses are conducted in all hospital sites at regular intervals and can be done easily. It is basically designed for the community where everyone can be a life saver by learning the skills of giving good chest compressions, call for help, simple airway manoeuvres and use of AED.
Advanced Life Support:
The ALS is a 2-day course, which runs all throughout the year at designated ResusUK centres, all of which can be found on their website. Booking well in advance is required as seats get filled up very soon and may not be available at a centre near your preferred location. The cost slightly varies across centres but is usually around £400-450.
If you have already joined a hospital or started your job, liaise with your supervisor as the course can be included in your educational expenses and fee can be reimbursed. Once you have booked the course, you will be registered on their Learning Management System (LMS), receive your course manual and online learning modules. It's important that you read the manual, do the modules and finish the precourse MCQ test before going for the course.
Into the course: 2 days of extensive learning
Once you have attended the course, it will make sense why it is so busy & worth every penny you have spent. It is very well structured, with essential theory classes and hands-on practice with high end simulators. All the candidates will be divided into small groups for better learning, ample amount of time for hands on practice followed by discussions. The instructors are very friendly, willing to help and answer any questions, doubts no matter how small it may seem.
All-important topics in relation to resuscitation are discussed and if you have read the manual before the course, it becomes very easy, and you understand better. From airway manoeuvres to ABCDE approach, rhythm recognition and various arrhythmias it’s a lot to take in 2 days but do keep in mind that you will be observed all throughout the course and it’s not only about doing the hands on and going through the lectures, it's all about “communication and teamwork”.
I would like to highlight it again “TEAM WORK”!! How you are working as a team, understanding the scenarios, call for help, role designation, being loud and clear and also feedback from and about your colleagues, what went well, and which areas need improvement. I cannot stress upon this enough, but this is exactly what all the scenarios are about and the skills on which you will be tested.
Post course test:
After an exhausting number of scenarios and theory lessons, you will have to do a practical scenario with one of the instructors, followed by a post course MCQ test. Again, I would mention here that, if you have read the manual thoroughly, answering the questions should not be very difficult. Your results will be given on the same day evening at the end of the course and if you have done extremely well, you might be given an “Instructor potential” as well.
Conclusion:
Although it might seem very daunting at first, it is very satisfying when you complete the course and get your certification, which is valid for 4 years. This course gives you a lot of confidence in managing life threatening scenarios and at the same time building an attitude of teamwork. I consider it as an essential life skill and always advise my colleagues to do the same. It's not just having the certificate, it's about “saving a life” which matters the most.
Best regards,
Moloy
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