The CRANAplus offices will be closed from midday Tuesday 24 December and will reopen on Thursday 2 January 2025. The CRANAplus Bush Support Line is available throughout the holidays and can be contacted at any time on 1800 805 391.
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Advanced Life Support Online (ALS)

With the health practitioner’s expanding role, they are required to have a sound knowledge and demonstrate skills in the care and management of the deteriorating patient during a life-threatening emergency. As part of this role, the remote and rural health practitioner may be required to initiate and maintain ALS measures.

The CRANAplus Advanced Life Sup­port (ALS) course is based on the Aus­tralian Resus­ci­ta­tion Coun­cil guide­lines and prin­ci­ples of evi­dence-based best practice.

CRANAplus rec­om­mends that the ALS course is com­plet­ed every two years and strong­ly rec­om­mends that the Basic Life Sup­port (BLS) course is com­plet­ed pri­or to under­tak­ing the ALS course.

The ALS course aims to pro­vide the health work­force with the Advanced Life Sup­port skills required to man­age patients pri­or, dur­ing, and after a car­diores­pi­ra­to­ry arrest, with an empha­sis on care in remote, rur­al, and iso­lat­ed settings.

ALS course structure

  1. An online learn­ing pro­gram and assessments
  2. Prac­ti­cal assess­ment: sce­nario-based with a CRANAplus Edu­ca­tor, either face-face or via Zoom

1. Online learn­ing pro­gram content 

  1. Intro­duc­tion to the ALS course
  2. DRS: Danger, Response, Send for Help ele­ments of the ALS algorithm
  3. Air­way: Prin­ci­ples and prac­tices of air­way man­age­ment in ALS
  4. Breath­ing: Res­pi­ra­to­ry sup­port in ALS
  5. Defib­ril­la­tion: Car­diac phys­i­ol­o­gy, arrhyth­mia recog­ni­tion and man­age­ment and defibrillation
  6. Med­i­cines: First and sec­ond-line drugs in ALS
  7. Post-resus­ci­ta­tion care: Prin­ci­ples and prac­tice of post-resus­ci­ta­tion care
  8. Ethics, medico-legal: Legal and eth­i­cal con­sid­er­a­tions around ALS
  9. Doc­u­men­ta­tion: Effec­tive doc­u­men­ta­tion in ALS
  10. Sum­ma­ry

2. Prac­ti­cal assessment

Your prac­ti­cal assess­ment will be con­duct­ed by a CRANAplus Asses­sor. In excep­tion­al cir­cum­stances CRANAplus may appoint an exter­nal asses­sor. This process can only be organ­ised and approved by CRANAplus.

It is your respon­si­bil­i­ty to organ­ise the required equip­ment and venue for the prac­ti­cal assessment.

Down­load a copy of the ALS Infor­ma­tion Sheet includ­ing the list of required equipment.

FAQs

How do I com­plete the ALS Online Course?
  • Reg­is­ter via CRANAplus website
  • Com­plete online learn­ing (access via the CRANAplus Dash­board)
  • Organ­ise required equip­ment for prac­ti­cal assessment
  • Sub­mit an enquiry to arrange prac­ti­cal assessment 
  • Arrange prac­ti­cal assess­ment with CRANAplus assessor
  • Com­plete prac­ti­cal assessment
  • Cer­tifi­cate issued with­in 7 days
What equip­ment is required for the prac­ti­cal assessment?
  • Adult Man­nequin: for sim­u­la­tion of CPR, defib­ril­la­tion and air­way insertion
  • Defib­ril­la­tor which can be used in man­u­al mode e.g: Zoll/​Lifepack
  • Defib­ril­la­tor pads (adult)
  • Air­ways: oropha­ryn­geal, nasopha­ryn­geal, LMA (size 3 fits most mannequins)
  • Yankeur suck­er and Y Suc­tion catheter
  • Mag­ills for­ceps (for med­ical staff assess­ments only)
  • Adult Hud­son O2 mask
  • Bag valve mask
  • IVC’s
  • 10 and 20ml syringes

If avail­able:

  • Ampoules of Adren­a­line, Amio­darone, 5% dex­trose, n/​saline
  • Stetho­scope, BP cuff
  • IV Flu­ids: e.g.: n/​saline
  • O2 sat probe
  • End tidal CO2 mon­i­tor­ing device

For assess­ments via Zoom:

  • Computer/​laptop/​smart phone/​tablet with work­ing cam­era and Zoom (https://​zoom​.us/) which has been test­ed and is in work­ing order.

Accred­i­ta­tions

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