Now I know the secret about ACLS.

I spent the last 2 days in class, pouring over my book and strips. On Thursday night, I woke up at least three times (due to coughing/sniffling/sneezing stuff) and everytime, the first thing on my mine was something like “Push 1 of epi!” Love that. Well, I don’t really, but I knew I was absorbing something if I was actually dreaming about it, too.

On Friday, we did our megacode and took the tests. I have really been quite nervous about this certification, feeling like I wasn’t ready, hadn’t had enough experience yet, hadn’t seen enough codes yet. And something about the word “megacode” just makes me twitch a little. Anyway, I had a lengthy list of excuses as to why I really didn’t want to take the class…just…yet. But our educator changed the schedule up, and I ended up taking it months earlier than expected, with a group of new nurses who started last August.

However.

I got 100% on both of my tests and felt like I did great on my megacode, as well. I felt thoroughly prepared, completely supported, and guess what? I did it!

So what’s the secret?

Apparently the first secret is working at my hospital, which is full of awesome nurses and even better instructors. I required a small amount of hand holding in the beginning, and I got exactly what I needed. Having not been witness to an exceptional number of codes, I don’t know exactly how they run. I thought that would really hold me back. (I was wrong.)

The other secret to ACLS is that the book is far too verbose extensive and, as far as I’m concerned, was concocted simply to freak people like me out. (Well done, AHA.) Because the bottom line is that it’s just.not.that.hard. Leave your book in the pacakageuntil after the class, when you really understand what’s going on. Instead, read the algorhythms that comes on the small, pocket-sized cards. Know your rhythm strips. And come take the class at my hospital, where the atmosphere is one of support, instead of one of stress, tension, and do-or-die.

I do understand that codes are stressful, and I have no childish fantasies about approaching my first code (with my very own patient, that is) completely level-headed. Moreso, I imagine myself in the background, trying to take everything in, and knowing everything that’s being done and being given. Gradually I will insert myself deeper and deeper into the wonderful world of flail chests, but at my hospital, with some many meds students, interns, residents, nursing students, nursing interns, and nurses, a Code is most often a Team Sport. :::sigh of relief:::

Before this class, I felt incompetant and slightly dangerous. As I walked my surgical patients down the halls on the monitor, I was constantly reviewing my very basic knowledge of what to do if suddenly their eyes were to roll up into their heads. (Hint: my basic knowledge pretty much meant getting the patient safetly to the ground and yelling for help.) Now that I’ve been ACLS certified, I still feel mostly incompetant, but I do feel slightly less dangerous, and slightly more legit. How could I be an ICU nurse without knowing how much epinephrine to push? Now I can carry my “Critical Care Team” backpack with pride (we got them for Nurse’s Week), knowing that I can play a role in codes.

The real truth about ACLS? It makes me feel like a real nurse.

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