Comprehensive Advanced Life Support
(CALS)
Comprehensive Advanced Life Support
(CALS):
Comprehensive Advanced Life Support (CALS) is an educational
program developed by a multidisciplinary working group in
The home study:
CALS participants receive a manual, study guide and pretest
before the course. The pretest is taken before reviewing any of the material
and returned to the course coordinator. The study guide is used to guide the
student through the manual and also to define areas that need additional
review.
CALS manual is separated into
three volumes: Volume I—First Thirty Minutes, Volume II—Resuscitation Skills,
and Volume III—Diagnosis, Treatment, and Transition to Definitive Care. These
may be used as one resource or as three individual resources. Technical
Information, located at the end of Volume III, is also a valuable aid.
The organization
of CALS reflects the CALS Universal Approach to Patient Care.
Volume I contains information needed during the first thirty minutes
of patient care. The Acute Care Algorithms/Treatment Plans/And Acronyms are
designed for quick access during an emergency. The Steps describe a system to
diagnose, treat and transport the emergent patient. The Focused Clinical Pathways
provide a brief review of most conditions encountered in the emergency setting.
Volume II is composed of Skills Portals divided into appropriate areas of
clinical expertise, which illustrate hands-on techniques.
Volume III, composed of Diagnosis, Treatment, and Transition to
Definitive Care Portals, is also divided into appropriate areas of clinical
expertise. In conjunction with the Pathways, these detail further, specialized
guidelines on many conditions.
The CALS Provider Course:
The two-day provider course consists of group sessions,
scenarios, and skills stations taught in an interactive team format. The
sessions include airway management, cardiac, traumatic, pediatric, obstetrical,
neonatal, and medical advanced life support. The course
is taught by teams of physicians, nurses, CRNA’s, physician assistants, nurse practioners,
and paramedics experienced
in critical care and rural health care. The course is limited to
24 participants.
The Benchmark Skills Lab:
The Benchmark Skills Lab is a one-day procedural lab that
covers many of the skills needed in an emergency department for resuscitation
of critically ill or injured patients.
The lab can be taken pre or post course within six months of the provider
course.
Target Audience and hospital CALS is designed for :
The intended audience is teams of physicians, physician’s
assistants/nurse practitioners, nurses, and allied health care providers who
provide resuscitation to patients of all ages with undifferentiated medical
emergencies. To benefit the most from CALS, participants should have previously
attended an advanced life support course or have some clinical experience in
critical situations. The course is
primarily an in-hospital resuscitation course but paramedics can attend and it
is particularly useful if paramedics are part of the resuscitation team in the
emergency department of the hospital. Each
medical facility will need to determine the advanced life support training
requirements for their staff.
CALS can be beneficial to all health care providers who deal
with undifferentiated emergencies regardless of size or location of
facility. It is especially designed to
benefit rural healthcare providers as it provides exposure to uncommon, but
highly critical and visible case scenarios.
The course is designed to be given in rural hospitals but
can also be presented in central locations to several rural hospitals such as
schools and community centers. The course requires a minimum of one room large
enough to accommodate all participants and instructors plus 2-3 additional
rooms for individual scenarios.
Benefits of CALS:
CALS is designed for rural healthcare practitioners.- CALS is one
course that covers concepts contained in many of the other advanced
life support courses.
- CALS is adaptable
to the specific needs of rural and metropolitan arenas.
- CALS emphasizes teamwork
in a team training environment.
- CALS provides a favorable
ratio of students to instructors for optimal student learning.
- CALS focus is the Universal Approach to emergency care of rural patients.
- CALS identifies equipment
essential for resuscitation.
- CALS includes all age groups from birth to geriatrics.
CALS offers both classroom and lab
components
Completion and cost of
CALS:
A card and CME is issued following
participation in either the provider course or the Benchmark lab. Completion of
both the provider course and the Benchmark Lab signify completion of the CALS
course.
Recommended
renewal is every four years.
The CALS two-day provider course
program is acceptable for up to 16.5 prescribed credit hours by the AAFP. AAFP prescribed credit is accepted by the AMA
as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 for the AMA Physician's recognition award.
(When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed hours earned must be reported as
prescribed hours, not as Category 1). The CALS course is designed to meet the
Continuing Education Contact Hours of most State Boards of Nursing. The one day CALS Benchmark Lab is approved
for 8 credit hours in Category 1 of the Physician's recognition Award of the
American Medical Association. Nurses
receive 19.5 CEUs for the classroom portion and 8 CEUs for the Benchmark Lab.
Registration fees may vary between
each state chapter. Individual chapter fees can be found through www.calsprogram.org or by contacting the chapter
coordinator. Information on hosting a
course or participating in a scheduled course is also available. Currently
courses are being held in various locations in
The CALS mission, vision, and values as well as the goals
and objectives are found on the website. More
information about CALS may be found on the CALS web site: www.calsprogram.org. or
call Katharine (800)
913-6409 or Kari Lappe at (612) 624-5901.
Sample Course Schedule
Comprehensive Advanced Life Support-Day I
|
|
Registration/Welcome/Course
Objectives Collect
Study Guides |
|
|
Universal Approach to
Seriously Ill/Injured Patient |
|
|
The Emergent Airway |
|
|
Break |
|
|
Airway Management – (50
minutes each) |
|
|
a. Rapid Sequence Intubation |
|
|
b. Pediatric Airway |
|
|
c. Difficult Airway |
|
|
Lunch |
|
|
Resuscitation Skills – (50
minutes each) |
|
|
a. Pediatric Medical |
|
|
b. Equipment/IV
Access/Central lines |
|
|
c. Adult Trauma |
|
|
Neurological Resuscitation
– (40 minutes each) |
|
|
a. Medical Neurological
Resuscitation |
|
|
b. Trauma Neurological Resuscitation |
|
|
C-spine X-ray
Interpretation (for MD, PAs, NPs) |
|
|
ECG review (for RNs,
pre-hospital personnel) |
|
|
Wrap-up |
Comprehensive Advanced Life Support-Day 2
|
|
Cardiac Resuscitation –
(40 minutes each) |
|
|
a. Tachycardias/V-fib |
|
|
b. Bradycardias/Asystole/PEA |
|
|
c. ACS/CHF |
|
|
Break |
|
|
|
|
|
Skills Practice – (35
minutes each) |
|
|
a. |
|
|
b. Neonatal Skills
Practice |
|
|
Lunch |
|
|
Resuscitation Skills – (45
minutes each) |
|
|
a. Neonatal resuscitation |
|
|
b. Adult medical |
|
|
c. Environmental
Emergencies |
|
|
Break/Instructions
for Evaluation Station |
|
|
Evaluation Stations – 3
stations |
|
|
a. Pediatric Trauma |
|
|
b. Pediatric Trauma |
|
|
c. Pediatric Trauma |
|
|
Written Test and Return
Course Evaluations |