ACLS Certification is required by health care providers working in acute care settings and also by providers of emergency services.
The majority of hospitals and emergency services within the United States require that this certification be obtained through the American Heart Association (AHA).
Don’t be fooled by Non-AHA imitations.
There are a number of ways to obtain AHA approved ACLS certification. Below is a breakdown of what is required and how it can be obtained. Also included are some cautions about online certification.
Attend a local class
- The safest way to obtain AHA ACLS certification is by attending a class in your local area. Many hospitals provide the course at a discount to their employees. You can also check your yellow pages for education facilities that provide BLS, ACLS, and first aid training. The cost of the class usually ranges from $ 150-200.
Ask your education department about opportunities for fee reimbursement or fee assistance. - When looking for a course in your local area, you should make sure to ask if the certification is AHA approved since nearly all hospitals and emergency services in the United States require AHA approved ACLS certification.
AHA approved certification always requires a written exam and hands-on skills station test.
Online Certification:
- You should be very cautious about online ACLS certification. There are quite a number of websites that offer “ACLS Certification” but are not AHA approved. Some may even say “approved by AHA certified physicians” or “AHA physicians recommend this course”. Beware of these sites. Most hospitals and healthcare facilities will not recognize these certifications.
- There are several online courses that are AHA approved and they will say so right upfront. They want you to know they are approved and they will always make that clear.
- AHA does offer an online course or CD called “HeartCode ACLS Part 1.” If
This is the American Heart Association’s self-directed learning program. The cost of Part 1 is $120 and includes CME/CE credits. To complete the AHA ACLS certification, there are two parts to the program. Part 1 is the online or CD-based learning component that allows users to work through the ACLS curriculum at their own pace. Part 2 is the hands-on skills evaluation session usually costs around $50.
Conclusion
ACLS certification is a great way to expand your knowledge base as a health care professional, and it will help prepare you to be ready to perform advanced resuscitation in the healthcare setting. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
ACLS-Algorithms.com is here to provide you with the best web-based ACLS training available. Try the Megacode Simulator or watch a video about the new 2015-2020 ACLS guidelines for cardiac arrest algorithm.
taromero61 says
How many questions are on the written ACLS exam? I am preparing to take the course for the first time and I’m just a little nervous.
This site has been very helpful and is well put together.
THANKS
Jeff with admin. says
There are 50 questions on the written exam. Good luck with certificaiton. You will do great!
Kind regards,
Jeff
kirk long says
where is the info re: stroke care that is included in the current ACLS classes?
Jeff with admin. says
You can find 3 practice tests with rational that cover all of the important stroke question toward the bottom of this page.
It is located under the Subheading “Acute Stroke Care.”
Kind regards,
Jeff
Johanna says
Hi Jeff, i took the acls course last year in october; i graduated in May so i figured i would take acls to broaden my opportunities as a new nurse. When i took that class it was alright because i took the critical care course in school. Our instructor told us the course used to be a two day class, but ours was like less than 8 hours. So the test basically was written and a video. we didnt have a real code. Now that i got a job i feel hesitant because even though i am certified, i do not feel quite confident. should i talk to my manager about it before i start my residency?
I would appreciate your help. !! thank you so much in advance.
Jeff with admin. says
Let me paraphrase what you are saying to make sure that I understand. You are saying that you do not feel that the ACLS class and certification made you ready to where you would feel comfortable in a code situation. Is that correct?
If that is correct then I would suggest you spend 2 weeks to one month on this website going through all of the megacode simulator questions and then the megacode videos. Do these until you feel very comfortable with each situation.
If you do this, you will be ready for just about any code that will come your way. Also if you do not feel comfortable with any other aspect of ACLS just go through that section on the site to refresh yourself.
After you do this, I think that you will have full confidence in the management of any cardiac arrest or emergency situation.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Kind regards,
Jeff
Joe Nava says
Hi Jeff,
Greetings from the Mervyn M. Dymally School of Nursing at the Charles R. Drew University in Los Angeles. My name is Professor Joe Nava and I am lead instructor for the MSN 514 Critical Care Nursing Course at our university. Let me just commend you on this site, which I have shared with all of my current nursing students in Critical Care nursing. They have found it to be extremely useful in their studies. Rest assured, we will continue to make it a habit for all our cohorts in the MSN program to use this site!
More power to you and your staff!!
Joe Nava, MSN, RN, PHN
Director, Entry Level Masters in Nursing Track Program
Mervyn M. Dymally School of Nursing
Charles R. Drew University
1748 E. 118th St., Los Angeles, CA, 90059
Jeff with admin. says
Thank you so much for your encouraging feedback. It is my privilege to be able to help healthcare providers become both proficient and comfortable with ACLS and arrest situations.
Kind regards,
Jeff
Stavan Patel says
Can you still renew if your ACLS and BLS card has expired? If so, how much time do you have once it has expired to receive the recertification?
Jeff with admin. says
Every hospital is different. Some allow you to renew if you expire and some say if you expire, you have to take the entire certification rather than the renewal. You will need to speak with your education department to find out for sure.
Kind regards,
Jeff
michele kroeger says
According to AHA, no, you can’t renew if your card is expired. You have to present a current BLS card.
Jeff with admin. says
I have previously checked with AHA and several educators on this question. I was informed that this is a decision that is decided by each individual hospital. I was told that AHA does not have a policy about this and that each hospital can establish its own policy regarding “grace periods,” renewals, and certifications.
Kind regards,
Jeff
lindakay says
This course was fantastic!! I do wish, though, that more information pertaining to the respiratory side of it was presented. I know that our ACLS tests also include that. But, the megacodes made me feel very confident about taking the test.
No Name Please says
I am a RN and took the ACLS renewal course several times with little problem. The type of nursing I do doesn’t require this certification. But I took it, in order to be open to other options. I find that the farther I get from nursing school the harder it is. I was suffering from the flu and had worked all the previous night. My head was swimming. There were several changes, and the test was harder. The EMT instructor who was the Megacode instructor said maybe I could rest up and come back and take the test next week. The Nursing Education instructor said I just didn’t have the stuff. I said whatever do you mean. I had recertified many times before. SO I plan to take the whole provider certification over, before I forget everything. Will this site help me with the 2012 guidelines.
Jeff with admin. says
Thanks for the question. I do think that the site will be of help to you. It fully covers all of the 2012 ACLS Guideline Changes. To best utilize the site, I recommend looking at this page first.
Kind regards,
Jeff
sara currell says
Recently took an online class with ACLS certification online. Receive my certification card and took it to work. It was refused by my employer and now $175 down the drain I will have to take it again. Beware of any online recertification class.
Jeff with admin. says
I am sorry that you experienced your problem with this ACLS online scam. You might check and see if they will give you a refund since the hospital would not accept the certification. There are several online ACLS scams like this and you must be cautious about these. If a website says that you can certify completely online, it is a scam.
These ACLS scam sites offer a “certification” that is not AHA approved. They often say “approved by AHA certified providers.” In fact anyone can offer a “certification” but that certification does not really mean anything.
The best way to certify is to go through a legitimate local certification site, hospital, EMS, or fire department.
Kind regards,
Jeff
Nicole says
Jeff,
You should be very careful about throwing the word “scam” around so liberally. You are on a thin line there. Just because a course is not AHA and follows their guidelines, does not make it a scam. In fact, many employers don’t require AHA, just as long as it follows the curriculum.
The AHA is a business, and they are throwing around propaganda just like you saying no course is approved but their own which is completely false. Granted, some hospitals have their own requirements, but many legitimate businesses like procpr, ashi, red cross, etc. offer cpr and ACLS training and they work just fine.
So, unless you want to get sued, you should be careful with what you say.
Best,
Nicole
Jeff with admin. says
Hi Nicole,
I have called numerous hospitals and have spoken with quite a few education departments in an attempt to determine whether I can recommend these online courses that are not AHA. If I new that at least a 3rd of hospitals in the U.S. accepted anything but AHA certification, I would be glad to give my thumbs up.
Heck, it would make many of the folks that visit this site happy since a strictly online certification would be much easier. I have not yet come across one hospital that allows for anything but AHA ACLS certification.
I have not mentioned any ACLS online companies specifically, and if someone asks me a question, I have to give a reasonable and truthful answer.
The truth is I have contacted hospital education departments and instructors and they referred to these sites as scams. They have new hires come in to their hospital with these “ACLS Certification” cards that cost $250 or more and they are worthless.
Over the past 2 years I have spent time researching this and making calls around the country. The facts to the best of my knowledge are as stated above.
Best I can say is just as it is stated in the article above:
“ACLS Certification is required by health care providers working in acute care settings and also by providers of emergency services.
The majority of hospitals and emergency services require that this certification be accredited by the American Heart Association (AHA).”
Kind regards,
Jeff
gena foucek sinopoli says
I think scam is both appropriate and right
I took a course and sent them my cards wording and
was told that the course was the AHA required course
I found that the test didnt include algorhythms and is overseen
by board eligible MDS and boasts that it is the highest producing ACLS class on the web
I placed a hold on the hefty payment and called my employer
the doctor who is on their board called and said he would talk
to my employer and of course this was not ok
The bank said that these people are disputing my claim because they had sent me a card( the card was a poor copy)
I am still disputing it and the AHA says that they are SCAMS
and fraudulant so I think the use of the word here is very appropriate as they are making millions by lying to you to get you to sign up and then sending a mock card
the company that took my money for REcertification which was
pretty bad was acls-certification instutute
I posted a comment on facebook and before they took it down
I got six emails from people who had also been scammed
This is pretty much robbery as they lie and get you to sign
and then it is not the card required for employments
Thanks to this site
I didnt recieve a handbook but they did say it was an AHA certified course that was required and now given online and that my employer would accept the AHA card
It is a SCAM and the AHA calls it FRAUD
K R says
Above the link to Heartcode ACLS Part 1 is recommended. Do you know if the student receives a 2010 Handbook?
Jeff with admin. says
Hi Kent,
I do believe that the 2010 Handbook must be purchased separately. I have had many folks use this site and state that they did not use the handbook. However, I always encourage the use of the handbook.
Kind regards, Jeff
dennis says
Hello
would you recommend acls to a nursing student or soon to be a nurse. or is it just for physician only
Jeff with admin. says
Hi Dennis,
Thanks for the question. You will have a significant advantage over other nurses with this on your resume when you have taken ACLS certification. Also if you are ACLS certified as a student it will allow you to participate in resuscitations if you get the opportunity.
In my opinion, you should obtain and keep certification if you can afford it.
Kind regards,
Jeff
http://www.acls-algorithms.com
CECILIA CUNANAN says
HI JEFF, CAN YOU RECOMMEND A CERTIFIED AHA ACLS COURSE ON LINE?
Jeff with admin. says
This would be the only coarse that I can recommend: Heartcode ACLS Part 1
Then Part 2 and 3 must be done locally.
Kind regards,
Jeff
Linda Fundytus says
Is there a grace period if ACLS has just expired?
Linda Fundytus
Jeff with admin. says
A grace period fully depends on your hospitals policy. AHA does not have a policy on this. I have talked to some hospitals that offer a grace period and others that do not.
It is totally up to the institution and the policy that they establish.
Kind regards, Jeff
M1031 says
Hello Jeff,
I wanted to be sure this is a two year certification card, per example above. Is recertification also required to have a psychomotor component as well? I’m just wanting to be sure.
M1031 – EMT-I (for now, soon to be M.A.L.P.)
Jeff with admin. says
ACLS certification is a two year certification. When you certify or recertify with AHA, you do have to do a hands on megacode skill station as well as the written test. Kind Regards, Jeff
Jeff with admin. says
Test
Jeff with admin. says
test a 2nd time
nostressacls says
Hello,
Having just become a member today, I was reading some of the remarks. I have been a night RN for 20 years and I noticed something pretty funny…most remarks were made in the wee hours of the night when nurses are studying. Are we all night owls?
Melissa D, RN