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ATLS courses


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It's usually offered through your residency program, unless it isn`t relevant to your specialization.

 

We got ACLS as part of our emerg rotation in med school, as do many schools.

 

Given that the courses are costly, probably best if you go that route.

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Hey Sats

 

I already have ACLS, just looking to take ATLS which seems to be non-existent with any of the programs in BC. Anyone from BC know how/when these are offered? Is it available to med students?

 

I am unaware of any schools that offer ATLS to med students.

It isn`t even offered to all residents.

Hopefully you will find something.

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You can definatelty audit it as a medical student but are not eligable to take it for certification unless you are a physician. It sounds like a fun course where you get to put lines into animals and stuff (but unfortunately the animal doesn't fare so well). I would look in the places already suggested above. Or you can ask some residents in general sugery/emerg who they went through.

 

N.

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I am unaware of any schools that offer ATLS to med students.

It isn`t even offered to all residents.

Hopefully you will find something.

Yeah, I've been looking and it looks like it really isn't offered in a 'public signup' format for doctors. I know when I was at the hospital I would see signup forms for ATLS courses, but it was an in-hospital deal. I am looking to audit the course before I start my EM shadowing so I can get more out of the rotation. I also heard it's a bunch of fun, and you get to put chest tubes, intubations, and do venous cut-downs on pigs. :D

 

Considering ITLS-B/BTLS was the single biggest waste of time and money I've ever gone through, I would think twice before taking ITLS-A/ATLS. The cert card is still somewhere amongst the heaps of trash in my car, even my job didn't care about it.

Hey Jochi

ITLS (and this ITLS-A?) is a completely different type of course than ATLS. One is for paramedics in the pre-hospital field, the other is for emergency physicians who need to manage a trauma patient in the hospital setting.

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ATLS is pricey, and if you're a medical student, I'd venture to say not worth the expense. The content is a bit underwhelming -- leaf through the textbook and you'll see it isn't exactly cutting edge, let alone well-formatted or proofread.

 

Moreover, some ATLS courses are moving away from animal labs -- you just do procedures on mannequins. Useful, but not the same. Even if the course uses animals, if you only audit, you probably won't be doing procedures on a pig.

 

Learn the decision rules for imaging the head and neck, read and think about when and when not to CT the belly, and practice being patient with drunk idiots and the radiologist reading your scans, and you'll do just fine with ED trauma as a student. Let your residency pay for ATLS when you get there.

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I don't know - wouldn't an elective in anaesthesia provide a similar experience? (I really don't know) I'm doing one right now and within the first week I'd done some injections, started to practice to bag ventilate (on real patients), and assist with intubations. I only get to hold the blade if the patient has no teeth. ;)

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ATLS is pricey, and if you're a medical student, I'd venture to say not worth the expense. The content is a bit underwhelming -- leaf through the textbook and you'll see it isn't exactly cutting edge, let alone well-formatted or proofread.

 

Moreover, some ATLS courses are moving away from animal labs -- you just do procedures on mannequins. Useful, but not the same. Even if the course uses animals, if you only audit, you probably won't be doing procedures on a pig.

 

Learn the decision rules for imaging the head and neck, read and think about when and when not to CT the belly, and practice being patient with drunk idiots and the radiologist reading your scans, and you'll do just fine with ED trauma as a student. Let your residency pay for ATLS when you get there.

As an observing student I am not going to be doing any procedures anyway, so maybe it is just better to read the theory behind the course. Although it would be fun to practice the procedures.

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As an observing student I am not going to be doing any procedures anyway, so maybe it is just better to read the theory behind the course. Although it would be fun to practice the procedures.

 

 

Hey,

 

Don`t worry about it. You will be fine on an emerg elective with your ACLS. You will use that alot more anyway!

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