You Asked for It… And Now You’ve Got It!

By Kristina Maki, MS RN CNE

Kristina Maki
MNA Nurse Educator

MNA Nurse Educator

 

Retention studies show that CPR skills deteriorate quickly after training. Most of the research shows, without consistent use of the skills, there is a significant decline after just three months. Even if a nurse still has a valid BLS certification card, it might be beneficial to refresh your competency. Still, MNA members have expressed concern about several healthcare facilities moving away from the standardized American Heart Association courses such as Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). Instead, hospitals are moving to facility-created versions. AHA courses offer a consistent, uniform curriculae that are universally accepted for two years after the completion of the course. The others? Who knows?

We’ve heard the outrage against those hospital-offered classes, and starting this month, MNA is stepping up to offer the AHA BLS course to MNA members. This class is being presented in your choice of two different formats. The first is a 100 percent live, instructor-led, 4-hour class–presented by me, your new nursing practice educator. The second-option is a HeartCode® course.  This latter class is a more blended-style.  It’s shorter, online with some live instruction. The instructor-led class requires no additional fees. All content is covered in a low-stress, collaborative, fun class.  The HeartCode® course requires a small fee payable to the American Heart Association for the online portion. This blended style course allows you to complete most of the work in the comfort of your home in a timeframe that fits with your schedule. Skills testing, done at the MNA offices or various locations around greater MN, can be completed in less than 90 minutes. How do you know which course is right for you? That depends on your needs, how you learn best, what your availability is, etc.

Come join us here at the MNA office or at various locations around greater Minnesota for an AHA BLS class. Classes are available for registration through the MNA Calendar. Click here to choose a day to sign up, and then click on the day and time that works for you. https://mnnurses.org/events/calendar/   Class sizes are limited anre registration is required.  And coming in 2020- ACLS and PALS!  Looking forward to seeing you soon!

4 Comments

  1. Thanks for getting back his developed so quickly! As an Allina nurse, my “in house “ certification is valid no where else, forcing me to maintain 2 certifications for the same skill if I am very needed to change employers. MNA is providing a very necessary training and thank goodness

  2. Any idea how soon I’m 2020 the ACLS will be offered?

  3. It is great that hospitals offer Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) so nurses can remain competent. Due to the cost of mannequins and computers, they can offset that by eliminating trainers and keep staff onsite. It is great that MNA is meeting the needs of it’s members and it will be important to evaluate this new endeavor.

  4. This website truly has all the information and facts I wanted concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.

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