Resuscitation

BLS, ACLS and PALS

House Staff must be in compliance with VUMC Policy found here (summarized in figure 1 below) before the start of the program and must maintain current training throughout the program as required by this policy.  Please note that ACLS and/or PALS DO NOT satisfy the BLS requirement.  They are separate courses and a current, separate card or valid eCard must be held for each.  

Please note that individual programs or departments may require additional training beyond the requirements of hospital policy.  House Staff should check with their program to confirm. 

*The office of Graduate Medical Education (GME) maintains a list of residency programs that do NOT require ACLS and/or PALS training as approved by the Vanderbilt Health System Chief of Staff or designee.

** Child Neurology PGY 1-2 follows "Peds" requirements above; Child Neurology PGY 3 follows "Adult" requirements above.

*** Clinical Fellow Instructors who also maintain sedation privileges need to also be certified in either PALS or ACLS.

Programs that do NOT require ACLS or PALS certifications for PGY 1-3 are: Pathology, Orthodontics, Infectious Disease, Therapeutic Radiological Medical Physics, Clinical Microbiology, and ABMGG – LGG Certification in Laboratory Genetics & Genomics. Psychiatry requires ACLS certification for PGY 1 only.   BLS training IS required for house staff in these programs.

Approved Agencies for Resuscitation Training – Only training from the following nationally recognized agencies is accepted at Vanderbilt:

• American Heart Association – Preferred for all basic and advanced life support training.
• American Red Cross – Accepted BLS/CPR FOR HEALTHCARE only. (ACLS and PALS not accepted from American Red Cross)
• Military Training Network – Accepted for basic and advanced life support training.

The VUMC Resuscitation Team has worked hard with our GME team each year to help make FREE resuscitation classes available to as many house staff as possible.

• This year each course (BLS/ACLS/PALS) will be available virtually to all incoming house staff (FREE of Charge) in the learning exchange as a virtual class.
• The class will be completed on their own time.
• Each certification will require a separate Manikin Skills test, to be completed on their own time at VUMC, when they arrive.
  • Details will be provided to each house staff of when, where, and how to access a manikin cart for check-offs, once they complete their courses.
• Once the Learning Exchange class and manikin skills test are complete, they will be issued instructions on how to claim their certification eCard.

For incoming house staff (those who have not yet started ), all of this information will be available to the incoming house staff in the Onboarding Central and listed on their items to complete for the “Pre-Employment Task List”.

Current house staff can sign up for resuscitation classes in the Learning Exchange through the Resuscitation Program website: http://www.vanderbiltcpr.com (not for incoming house staff).

The accountability for keeping your BLS/ACLS/PALS training current rests with the resident. It must be renewed every two years for the first three clinical years of residency at Vanderbilt in order for you to remain in your residency program. Please note that the BLS and ACLS/PALS are separate courses. Having a current ACLS or PALS card DOES NOT exempt from the BLS requirement. It is strongly recommended that you register for resuscitation classes at least three months in advance of your recommended renewal month.

All house staff new to Vanderbilt must provide proof of current training in BLS and other resuscitation training as required by hospital policy to the office of Graduate Medical Education. Failure to provide proof of training may delay employment and your start date. New house staff are required to be trained in the necessary resuscitation methods before their start date. If you are unable to obtain the required training prior to arriving at Vanderbilt, ACLS, PALS and BLS courses are offered for incoming house staff prior to House Staff Orientation. You may sign up for classes by referring the the pre-employment task list on GME Onboarding Central. For more information, call the Vanderbilt Resuscitation Program at 615-322-0285.