Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course

   I just finished another ACLS course. This was the first one that I have taken since moving here to Ireland. It is still the same curriculum and still quite difficult to pass. It has been eight years since I took my last one and I still struggle with the drug list.

   As an enthusiast for the Austere Medicine side of things it is a little difficult to get passionate about any of these drug related courses. Sure the pharmaceuticals save countless lives and I hope we always have access to them but lets face the facts of Remote Medicine: we only have what we carry with us, and there are very few meds that we can carry.
   Another aspect of practising medicine in the wilds is that the average person who will make it out to the mountain side will be reasonably fit. Sure there are cardiac emergencies all over the world in remote places. Most of those people should not be where they were found.

   There are good reasons to take the ACLS course or other drug based medical courses. Anything that challenges your medical learning and forces you to assess your own medical skills is worth the effort. I would suggest anyone with medium to advanced medical skills to keep their ACLS and ATLS certifications up to date.

   The ATLS course is Advanced Trauma Life Support. There are a few variations such as the BATLS (Battlefield Advanced Trauma Life Support) and the ITLS (International Trauma Life Support). Any of these trauma based courses will add to your medical knowledge.
   Here at the Remote Medicine Ireland trauma course we focus on a wilderness based scenario. The Wilderness Trauma Course which runs August 28-29, 2010 will address some of the accidents that you might find while out and about in the deep woods.

   Regardless of where you go for advanced medical skills, it is important to continue to challenge yourself and add to your certification and medical knowledge.