ACLS expiry and ACoP

[ukcanuck]

Just a quick question for the members here.

The listed expiry on my card is two years but ACoP have confirmed that it is good for four years.

So the question is when do I actually have to re do it? And if I let it go to four years am I liable as I have knowingly let it lapse?

Just wondering what everyone else is doing.

Cheers

[rock_shoes]

Tough call. From a criminal standpoint I expect you're fine because you're still a member in good standing with the provincial regulatory body. From a civil standpoint I suspect there is some additional liability in not maintaining current ACLS. The interesting part is that noone seems to care about renewing some of the other alphabet soup courses like ITLS.

[ukcanuck]

Very true - as a member in good standing you can provide all the skills and drug therapy that is covered by ACLS and without a current ITLS/PHTLS you still do the surgical cric/needle decomp. I am doing it early after two years for educational credits for my BC reg and for my four year plan for ACoP.

It is a grey area as I see it as the recommended renewal by the owners of the course is two years so if you are behind the trend in care or do something slightly wrong then I suppose technically you don't have the ACLS to fall back on as it is out of date.

Hows the course going over in AB?

[mobey]

If you have the AHS MCP's, the ACoP will recognize them in leiu of a ACLS card.

If you are a practicing Ab emt-p you no longer need ACLS as long as you have completed your MCP training.

[ukcanuck]

Ahhhhh, thats where it starts to unravel a bit as if you are a remote medic such as I, I have to do an ACLS every four years but a MCP trained EMT P doesn't have to do anything.

The AHA/CHSF still put a expiry date of two years on the card so to stay "legal" I have to do a course every two years. According to ACoP I ahve to do it every four years?

Very confusing but hey didn't expect anything different......... guess I get to do the ACLS refresher every two years.

Do you know if the MCP training is available for outside AHS paramedics?? That would be great as finding courses etc for outside of AHS and BCAS is proving challenging.

Cheers

[basejump]

9-4=1........Just take it again.

[mobey]

Do you know if the MCP training is available for outside AHS paramedics?? That would be great as finding courses etc for outside of AHS and BCAS is proving challenging.

Cheers

You just need to find an instructor.

Come on out to the eastern border and i'd be happy to get ya trained up!

[tniuqs]

Just to be clear "passing" an ACLS course is every 4 years according to the Health Disciplines Act under EMT regulations .. who knows what the queen pins will do when they ever get accepted under Health Professions Act.

This AHS deal is interesting is AHS except from the Acts and legislation now are they now the regulatory body for AB ?

Personally I take an ACLS course every time the standards change, so that's about 8 times I have donated ca$h to the Heart Foundation ... then then their is PALs too.

Frankly ACLS is beginning to be a joke its so watered down over the years so that a janitor can pass it.

9-4=1........Just take it again.

Just curious basejump as an EMR have you taken an ACLS course ? and what is the EMR "R" part are you in "remote" practice ?

[rock_shoes]

Hows the course going over in AB?

It's gone really well for me. I've managed to maintain a 4.0 so far and we've already covered the "meat & potatoes" in terms of EMS practice (Cardiac, Respiratory, GI/GU, Trauma, Neuro, Pharm, etc.). September was ER Practicum for me with Obs./Gyn, Environmental Emergencies, Special Populations, to come in November - December. Then it's OR, Professional Practice, & final ambulance practicum in the new year before we sit ACoP exams. It all flys by pretty quickly if your ready for it. Right now I'm looking to start into some of the courses I need to knock off a Bachelor of Health Science over the next year or two. It's not that onerous of a task if you come from an accredited Canadian university/college/polytechnic based program.

[mobey]

It's gone really well for me. I've managed to maintain a 4.0 so far and we've already covered the "meat & potatoes" in terms of EMS practice (Cardiac, Respiratory, GI/GU, Trauma, Neuro, Pharm, etc.). September was ER Practicum for me with Obs./Gyn, Environmental Emergencies, Special Populations, to come in November - December. Then it's OR, Professional Practice, & final ambulance practicum in the new year before we sit ACoP exams. It all flys by pretty quickly if your ready for it. Right now I'm looking to start into some of the courses I need to knock off a Bachelor of Health Science over the next year or two. It's not that onerous of a task if you come from an accredited Canadian university/college/polytechnic based program.

Alot of practitioners I know are taking the one at Medicine hat as opposed to Lakeland. Dunno why, just an anecdote for ya to check into.