ACLS Course Preparation - Tips for Success!
by Shelby Cluff, ACLS Instructor
Thinking about taking an ACLS class? Have a class on the schedule already and want some advice on how to review?
Here are some tips for success in an ACLS class!
Review the 2025 ACLS Provider manual:
Read through a 2025 updated ACLS provider manual for the most updated treatment protocols regarding ACS and Stroke care, BLS, and the main algorithms for care including Adult Bradycardia With a Pulse, Adult Tachyarrhythmia With a Pulse, Adult Cardiac Arrest, and Adult Post-Cardiac Arrest Care. The provider manual is also a great reference resource during your class and beyond!
Review the main ACLS algorithms:
The AHA has published flow charts for the main algorithms listed above. Review the following links and make sure you understand the decision points and actions to take in these scenarios
- Adult Bradycardia With a Pulse
- Adult Tachyarrhythmia With a Pulse
- Adult Cardiac Arrest
- Adult Post-Cardiac Arrest Care
Review the components of an electrocardiogram:
The AHA has preparation courses for understanding and interpreting ECG and for ACLS pharmacology; they can be taken individually or together as a bundle. There are FAQs about those courses here. And this is another good review resource for the heart's electrical system. In particular, here are some key ECG components to make sure you understand:
- P wave
- PR interval
- R wave
- S wave
- ST segment
- T wave
To understand an ECG, it also helps to understand cardiac anatomy and the heart's electrical system. Here are some important-to-know components of the heart's electrical pathways:
- Sinoatrial (SA) Node
- Atrioventricular (AV) Node
- Bundle of His
- Right and Left Bundle Branches
- Purkinje Fibers
Review ACLS pharmacology
The AHA's ACLS phrmacology preparation course is a helpful resource. Make sure you're familiar with the indications and dosages for the following medications:
- Epinephrine
- Epinephrine Infusion
- Licocaine
- Amiodarone
- Amiodarone Infusion
- Atropine
- Adenosine
- Dopamine Infusion
- Aspirin
When would a code team use each of these drugs? How much would you use and how would it be administered?
Final review: vocabulary and knowledge checks
If you're well prepared to take your ACLS class, you should be able to define the following terms:
- Systole
- Diastole
- Depolarization
- Repolarization
- Ischemia
- Perfusion
- Vasopressors
- Thrombolytics/fibrinolytics
- Anticoagulants
- Antiplatelets
- Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)
What are the signs and symptoms of shock?
What are the signs and symptoms of cardiopulmonary compromise?
Precourse self-assessment
If you are confident in your understanding of all of the concepts and terms listed above, you should be ready to complete the required precourse self-assessment. The assessment covers rhythm recognition, pharmacology, and practical application. The AHA requires that each student complete this assessment with a passing score of at least 70% in order to attend the ACLS course.
Good luck with your preparation, and see you soon!
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Published on September 1, 2026