ACLS Study Guide
You do not need weeks of study to pass an ACLS course, but you do need a plan. This one-week guide is what our instructors suggest, with links to the guide for each topic. For a student’s-eye view, see our blog post on preparing for an ACLS course.
The plan
Day 1: precourse self-assessment. Days 2–3: cardiac arrest algorithms and the H’s and T’s. Day 4: brady and tachy. Day 5: rhythms. Day 6: drugs, post-arrest care, ACS and stroke. Day 7: Megacode walk-through and rest.
Complete the AHA precourse self-assessment and list the topics you scored worst on. See the pretest and exam.
Learn VF and pulseless VT, asystole and PEA and the H’s and T’s. Draw each pathway from memory until you can do it without hesitating.
Work through bradycardia and tachycardia, focusing on the first question in each: is the patient stable?
Practise with ACLS rhythms and defibrillation, cardioversion and pacing.
Review ACLS drugs in the context of each pathway, then post-arrest care, ACS and stroke.
Talk through a Megacode out loud as the team leader — see the Megacode guide — then try ACLS practice questions. Sleep well.
Other life support and first aid courses: BLS Course · PALS Course · First Aid Course · Training calendar
About a week of focused revision suits most people; longer if you rarely manage arrests.
The cardiac arrest algorithms, including the reversible causes.
Learn them in the context of each pathway rather than as a list.
Our ACLS practice questions page has original questions with answers.
Course materials are provided as part of the AHA course; your instructor will explain what you receive.
Safety First Medical Services is an American Heart Association training centre on Al Reem Island. HeartCode blended ACLS, classroom ACLS and on-site group ACLS for hospitals and clinics, with a two-year AHA ACLS Provider eCard on completion.
See ACLS dates and register ACLS course overview Group booking enquiry
What we teach follows the awarding body and the UAE health authorities. For the definitive position on a course or licensing question, these are the places to check.
Last reviewed by the training team at Safety First Medical Services, an American Heart Association training centre at Addax Office Tower, Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi. Call +971 55 761 9841 or email training@safetyfirstmed.ae.