Everything You Need to Know About BLS AND PACLS Certifications

Basic Life Support

It is of paramount importance for nurses & healthcare personnels to keep themselves upgraded with the right kind of certification related to their field. They are required to have the fundamental abilities necessary to save lives; nevertheless, whether they work in a hospice or an intensive care unit, they will need extra qualifications, such as the BLS and PACLS certifications.
Who all needs to do BLS and PACLS certification course:

• Basic Life Support (BLS): All registered nurses RN) must have Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
  
• Principles of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (PACLS): PACLS certification is needed for RNs working in the ICU or with adults.
  

What is the difference between PACLS and BLS?

BLS is a kind of medical treatment that is used to treat people who are suffering from life-threatening diseases or injuries before they can be sent to a hospital for complete medical care. BLS requires knowledge and abilities in CPR, AED usage, and the relief of airway obstructions. BLS may be performed by emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or even trained bystanders.
Whereas, only paramedics and healthcare professionals who have had more advanced training than an EMT should conduct ALS.
Other significant differences between BLS and ALS include:

• A BLS practitioner is not permitted to use needles or other cutting instruments on the skin, nor is he or she permitted to give medication. Both are permissible for PACLS providers.
  
• Two emergency medical technicians are included in a BLS unit, whereas at least one paramedic is included in an PACLS unit.
  
• A PACLS unit includes airway equipment, cardiac life support, and other features.
  

Does PACLS cover BLS?

No, PACLS does not include BLS; you must get both certificates individually. In order to take the PACLS course, you must first obtain a BLS certification.

Do hospitals accept online BLS certification?

Most hospitals require licenced nurses to complete a BLS course that is certified by New Zealand Resuscitation Council. Currently, we do not provide or recommend any online BLS certification courses.
As a result, you should not take an online BLS course if you intend to work in a healthcare environment, particularly a hospital. Otherwise, you'll be squandering your time and money since your company is unlikely to accept an online certification.

When to obtain BLS and PACLS certifications?​

Nurses must have BLS and PACLS certifications, which do not require to be acquired before applying for a position. Employees in the healthcare industry may get these credentials while still working.

• Most job offers will include that applicants must acquire their BLS certificate before beginning work on the unit and that PACLS must be completed within 3-6 months after being hired. Graduate nurses may be able allowed to do away with it.
  
• Per diem nurses will be required to have these credentials already. Nurses will schedule a time to complete these certification courses with the unit and hospital instructors.
  

While these qualifications are required for all nurses, possessing them before applying does not always make you more marketable, particularly if you are a newly-recruited nurse.​

BLS and PACLS are regarded as necessary for nursing employment, and hospitals will provide them to their staff free of charge. As a result, obtaining them before beginning a new job is not advised since you will be responsible for paying for them upfront. If you wish to get these credentials before beginning a new career, be cautious, do your homework, and be ready to pay! Most companies will not reimburse workers for money spent on these certificates out of pocket.

About Basic Life Support (BLS) certification

Basic Life Support, or BLS, is the kind of treatment that first responders, healthcare practitioners, and public safety personnel provide to people who are suffering cardiac arrest, breathing difficulties, or a choked airway. It involves knowledge and abilities in CPR, the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and the relief of airway blockages in patients of all ages.
Emcare provides two distinct BLS certification routes, one for qualified healthcare professionals and the other for laypeople. The healthcare professionals course is only open to nursing students and nurses. Individuals will study the following throughout this course:

• Patient Assessment
  
• Airway Management
  
• Adjuncts for Airway Management – Oro-pharyngeal and laryngeal mask airways
  
• Management of choking for adults, children and infants
  
• Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
  
• One person & two person CPR for adults, children and infants
  
• Bag valve mask, mouth-to-mask and mouth-to-mouth ventilation
  
• Oxygen use in resuscitation
  
• Use of Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
  
• Management of Anaphylaxis
  

About Principles of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (PACLS) certification ​

Principles of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (PACLS) is a collection of life-saving procedures and abilities that go beyond BLS (BLS). It is used to treat cardiac crises such as cardiac arrest, stroke, myocardial infarction, and other diseases that need immediate medical attention.
Prior to the patient's arrival to an advanced care facility or a hospital, professionals certified to offer advanced cardiac life support are trained and permitted to give medicines, do injections, and execute airway operations.
PACLS is a programme developed specifically for professionals who care for severely sick people and is aimed at those who work in hospitals. This qualification will be needed for healthcare workers who operate in the emergency room or intensive care unit. Medical-surgical nurses are not obliged to take an PACLS course, although they are strongly urged to do so. Recommendation: Take the course if it is available and recommended.
The following are some of the things that healthcare workers who take PACLS will learn:

• Patient Assessment
  
• Advanced Airway Management assessed to Laryngeal Mask Airway level
  
• Pharmacology in Resuscitation
  
• Role of early defibrillation
  
• AED & Manual defibrillation
  
• Resuscitation Scene Management & Algorithms
  
• ECG Recognition of shockable and non-shockable rhythms
  
• Management of Anaphylaxis
  

Conclusion

Despite the fact that PACLS include BLS topics, you must have a BLS certification to attend the course. Some healthcare organisations will provide BLS certification before the advanced course, however, this is not always the case. It's critical to have a conversation with hospital instructors about this. Individuals who take the course via Emcare must have completed BLS as a requirement for PACLS.

​Emcare Professional Courses:

Providing education to the resuscitation community since its establishment in 1986.

The previous tagline, "empowering individuals to save lives since 1986," has been changed with "Saving Lives Made Simple," which we think more accurately reflects Emcare's concept and teachers. We think that keeping the training as easy as possible ensures that when skills are needed, people who do not resuscitate on a regular basis and need abilities beyond conventional First Aid courses will have less to remember.
The Emcare team consists of seasoned health-care experts who implement what they teach into practise on a daily basis. We are dedicated to saving lives via high-quality training and professional practise. That doesn't seem like a terrible way to spend the day! We only hire medical professionals (Doctors, Nurses, Ambulance Officers, Paramedics, and Intensive Care Paramedics) who are experts in their fields and have current, hands-on clinical experience.

Are your training providers clinical professionals who practice what they teach?

Our emphasis isn't just on cardiac arrest. We also cover how to handle medical emergencies and basic procedures for dealing with them. Although Emcare's main goal is education, we also serve as advisors to people and practitioners in the field of emergency care, as well as on-sellers of pre-hospital emergency equipment.
We specialise in tailoring courses to meet the specific requirements of our customers, and we provide a variety of payment alternatives, including group savings. Please contact us if you'd like us to conduct a course in your field or design a course to meet your particular needs.
Emcare's standards are based on the New Zealand Resuscitation Council's current guidelines. We take pride in delivering excellent customer service and high-quality course delivery, and we appreciate your input on how we can improve our services.