Online ACLS, BLS, and PALS Certification for Charlotte Medical Professionals
The U.S. Census 2012 reported an estimate 775,202 people reside in Charlotte—an increase of nearly 20,000 individuals since 2010. Mecklenburg, the county in which Charlotte is located, had an estimated population of 969,031 in 2012.
Based on the 2011 American Community Survey, nearly 17 percent of Mecklenburg County residents were uninsured. And there were approximately 2,000 hospital beds in Mecklenburg County and 27 doctors per 10,000 population to care for the injured and ill.
Cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s were the three leading causes of death in 2010, accounting for more than 50 percent of deaths in the county. Stroke and chronic lower respiratory disease took the fourth and fifth slots while diabetes was the eighth leading cause of deaths in the county.
The 2012 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index gave the Charlotte/Gastonia/Concord region an overall well-being rating of 68.2. The region’s reported prevalence of diabetes for 2012 was at 10.5 percent. Although this was a drop from the 2010 rate of 11.7 percent, it was worse than the large metro area average of 10.3 percent.
Charlotte/Gastonia/Concord region’s rate of obesity decreased slightly from 26.7 percent to 25.5 percent between 2010 and 2012. And the frequency at which residents exercised at least three days a week for 30-minute intervals increased from 51.7 percent to 53.3 percent between 2010 and 2012. The prevalence of locals consumed the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables at least four days a week also increased from 56.8 percent to 59 percent between 2011 and 2012.
The goal of the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course is to improve the quality of care that seriously ill or injured infants and children receive, whether in a hospital or at the site of an accident. Healthcare workers—such as nurses, paramedics and doctors— working in emergency medicine, emergency response, intensive care, and critical care units are the ideal audience for PALS certification.
Charlotte residents can also acquire emergency medical skills by taking a Basic Life Support (BLS) class. Locals who acquire BLS training will be able to effectively administer chest compressions to infants, children, and adults. Students’ medical knowledge will also grow to include the proper techniques for applying an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) to a victim and at what time to give individuals rescue breathing. BLS also teaches the “Chain of Survival” and protocol for one and two person resuscitation teams.
Those who are interested in taking Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) should already have knowledge of BLS, ECG Rhythm Recognition, airway equipment and management, and adult pharmacology before enrolling in the class.
Although BLS will not be reviewed during the ACLS course, students will be expected to know BLS techniques for the test. ACLS training instructs students on the different situations in which to use BLS Survey, ACLS Survey, high quality CPR, ACLS cases for specific disorders, and post cardiac arrest care.
PALS, BLS and ACLS certified providers can help deliver life-saving care to Charlotte residents caught in emergency medical situations.
Charlotte needs more certified ACLS providers!
