Stayin' Alive

I spent Thursday and Friday updating my ACLS certification. Thursday morning was spent reviewing basic life support, basically CPR. The rest of the time was spent reviewing ACLS material, including EKG rhythm interpretation and how to correct the various arrhythmias. Some time was also spent on how to handle stroke and heart attack patients, including the appropriate use of clot-busting drugs. Friday concluded with a written test that required an 84% or higher grade to pass, and the Megacode. The Megacode is when you walk into a room with 3 helpers and are given a medical situation. It is then your job to be the team leader and instruct people to do various stuff, like give medications, secure an airway, begin CPR, etc. The whole experience is a little nerve wracking. Its tough to get up there in front of a room of other healthcare professionals and be the leader. Luckily the hospital where I work is pretty laid back and I think everyone had a decent time with the class given the circumstance. There was a lot of joking around and laughing. With that being said, I take ACLS pretty seriously. Working in a hospital full of sick people, I am sure it is only a matter of time before I have to use the skills I learned in this class in a real life situation.

On a lighter note, the entire time we were relearning CPR I couldn't help but to think of the scene from the Office where Dunder Mifflin learns CPR after Stanley's heart attack. It's one of my all time favorite moments from the Office. It's really quite funny and quite applicable to the situation.