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When Should You Get Recertified?

In any medical setting where you may come across a patient in a critical condition, you need to ensure you have the necessary skills to save their lives. While a CPR certification is a good entry point, ongoing training to get your ACLS certification can provide you with a more comprehensive range of skills. One thing that you do need to keep in mind: you need to get recertified at certain intervals. Let’s take a closer look at how often you need to retake the exam.

How Long Does The ACLS Certification Last?

The American Heart Association has developed a strict set of guidelines that have formed the advanced cardiac life support certification. It equips you with knowledge and skills that you will come to depend on if you are in a situation where a patient experiences cardiac arrest or other type of critical events that affect their heart or respiratory system.

It is important to note that once you go through your ACLS course and write the exam, you are given a certification that will not last forever.

According to the American Heart Association, it’s generally recommended to get recertified
for ACLS every two years (24 months).

If your certification is older than two years, then it may no longer be deemed valid by your employer or other healthcare facilities. This can become a problem if you are in a situation where a certified respondent is required to attend to a life-threatening situation.

Why Do You Need To Get Recertified?

When you attend University or decide to do a course to equip yourself with certain skills, you’ll often only be required to complete it once. After you pass an examination at the end of the course, you are provided with a certificate that you can add to your resume. Even years after you complete the course, it still remains a valid entry that you can use when applying for a job.
In the medical industry, things change consistently. New technologies surface, and researchers discover more effective ways to save lives in emergency situations. The knowledge that you gained through an ACLS course two years ago may no longer be up-to- date and relevant in the modern day.
This is one of the most important reasons why you need to get recertified for Advanced Cardiac Life Support. When you take a recertification course, you’ll feel familiar with the materials that you are provided. With this said, it’s important to ensure that you still go through everything. Changes could have been made to certain algorithms and techniques that are now different from what you knew during the initial certification process.

The American Heart Association also updates the guidelines for Advanced Cardiac Life
Support, as well as other certifications like BLS and PALS, on a regular basis.

Apart from this, you also need to consider the fact that you are working with lives in a medical setting. Taking a recertification course and exam can be a big help when it comes to refreshing your mind and ensuring you are still fully acknowledged with algorithms, techniques, medication, doses, and other factors that are used in ACLS.

Thus, you can also think of the recertification process as a way to ensure you are still
capable of recalling what you have to do in various situations.

How To Get Recertified For ACLS

Once you reach close to the two-year mark after your initial certification, it’s important to start looking at recertification. Fortunately, there is no need to find a local facility that offers in- person course material. With the rise of the internet, you can easily access these courses on your computer or even continue studying from your mobile phone and tablet.
Several studies have shown that online learning can be an effective option for people in the medical industry. One meta-analysis even found that online learning could be extremely useful in undergraduate medical education.
At AffordableACLS, we understand that you do not want to go through the exact same process as with the initial certification. This is why you’ll find a separate recertification program that’s ideal for people who have already been certified before.
By accessing an online recertification program, you’ll be able to renew your ACLS license and even get a printable version of your provider card upon completion of the exam. The recertification process still provides you with a comprehensive range of study and educational materials. You’ll also receive data regarding any updates that have been made to the ACLS guidelines recently to ensure you can take this into consideration before you take your exam.

Tips For ACLS Recertification

You now have a good understanding of why you should get recertified and the right
frequency. With this in mind, we still have a couple of tips to share that will help make this entire process smoother.
● Think ahead when you have an ACLS certification. You already know that your
provider card is valid for a period of two years. Thus, make sure you plan to take
your recertification exam at least a month or two before your current provider card
expires.
● If you don’t pass the recertification exam on the first try, don’t give up. Most online
providers, including AffordableACLS.com, offers unlimited retakes to ensure you
have an opportunity to pass and get your renewed provider license.
● Don’t think that just because you are already certified, you won’t have to study. Set
aside time to focus on the educational materials. Take note of any new adjustments
that have been made to the AHA guidelines for ACLS. This will help to reduce the
chances of having to retake the exam multiple times before you pass.

Conclusion

C. Brangan, K. Jean, M. Patricia. BLS, ACLS, and PALS. NCPD Connection. Published June 2021. https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2021/06000/
AHA_update__BLS,_ACLS,_and_PALS.8.aspx
L. Pei, H. Wu. Does online learning work better than offline learning in undergraduate medical education? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medical Education Online. Published 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6758693/
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