EMT is turning 50 years old in 2019!! Did you know that the EMT role was first standardized in the late 1960’s? A paper commonly known as the “1965 white paper” was delivered to then President Richard Nixon. It demonstrated a number of concerning issues including: In 1965 the most common cause of death in the first half of life came from accidental injury. More people died from car accidents in 1965 alone than in the entire Korean Conflict. A [...]
They Are Both Excellent Courses, How Do I Choose? One of the most common questions we get at Project Heartbeat is, "How do I decide between Project Heartbeat's American Heart Association in-person ACLS or Project Heartbeat's American Heart Association Online ACLS course?" While they are both great courses, one may be more suitable to your needs. Here are some items to consider: 1. How Busy Are You? Busy medics, nurses and doctors looking to revert their Advanced Cardiac Life Support [...]
How Does Having an EMT Certification Help Your Career? For those new to medicine or the world of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) it may not be clear what a national certification as an EMT can do for your career. Here are a few of the more obvious benefits: 1. Employers want candidates with real world experience. More and more candidates these days have one or more college degrees, but it also seems like fewer candidates these days have actual real-world [...]
8 Great Reasons to Become an EMT! Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's) are typically frontline first responders trained to render first-aid and emergency medical care to critically ill or injured patients. EMTs make up the bulk of most ambulance companies and EMS agencies, including fire departments. Additionally, EMTs are sought after by most emergency departments as well in the coveted role of ED Technician. Here are 8 great reasons to become an EMT: Dynamic Environment – If helping people and solving complex [...]
If you're like me and prefer in-person interaction and dialogue (with Project Heartbeat's AMAZING instructors) to interaction with pixels... i.e., a video game, choosing between online or in-person ACLS certification courses should be a no-brainer. But which is right for you? An American Heart Association (AHA) Online ACLS course, or an in-person ACLS course with Project Heartbeat? Here are a few points to consider. 1. How Much Time Do You Have? This is typically the number one consideration when our students pick [...]
Choosing the Best American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support course for ACLS certification should be easy, but like all things in life, following certain rules can improve your chances. Read on to learn 4 tips to keep in mind when assessing a company for ACLS certification. 4 Tips To Consider With Your ACLS Certification Company 1. Is the company an American Heart Association Training Center or simply a training site? The American Heart Association accredits training centers through a process [...]
Considering the H's and T's during ACLS Certification Problem solving during a cardiac arrest can be frustrating, especially when the patient arrives as a John/Jane Doe. The American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support Pulseless Arrest Algorithm, seeks to clarify the decision making process and the differential diagnosis during a pulseless arrest. We drill this extensively during our ACLS courses. Knowing the patient in advance and having time to anticipate likely scenarios can be a great help. Unfortunately, in many [...]
In my real world experience, code responses are nearly always improved when all members of the code team have taken Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training. It's called having a shared mental model, which is an essential element of any resuscitation team. Over the years much research has been done on this concept. An example can be found in the Journal of Applied Psychology, entitled "The Influence of Shared Mental Models on Team Process and Performance". The paper discusses the [...]
Each year my program for new grads got more than 10 times the number of applicants as positions... Hopefully it will soon get better, but until then, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification can help separate you from the competition. Here are three big ways: 1. ACLS CERTIFICATION GIVES YOU AN EDGE IN AN EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE CALIFORNIA JOB MARKET. Let's face it, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting a massive increase in the number of RNs needed to replace [...]
Project Heartbeat President/co-owner Josh Burke RN MSN FNP has been a Kaiser Emergency Department Educator for over 15 years. Throughout the years he has compiled a massive library of instructional videos that teach Emergency Department nursing skills. See below for one of his videos on the proper technique for accessing a Port-o-cath. For additional content, like our Facebook page or tune in to our blog for regular posts on Emergency Department Nursing. Project Heartbeat will soon be offering online content [...]
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