CORD

901 N. Washington Avenue
Lansing, MI 48906
Phone: (517)485-5484
Fax: (517)485-0801
cord@cordem.org

CORD Position Statements on Advanced Life Support Courses

Emergency Medicine residency directors are faced with an ever-expanding breadth of knowledge and skills to teach in their curriculum. Over the last decade the number of "Advanced Life Support" courses (ATLS, ACLS, APLS, PALS, NALS) has continued to grow. Mandated attendance of such courses has proven problematic from both a time and a financial standpoint. In addition, the information may not be as up to date or applicable as the program director would like. Our graduates continue to encounter mandated certification in order to join medical staffs or obtain ED clinical privileges, an archaic practice dating to the days when untrained practitioners were the norm in the ED.

The CORD Board of Directors has developed two position statements addressing the dilemma of "merit badge" medicine. The first applies to our graduates as they seek medical staff appointments or clinical privileges. The second addresses our teaching institutions in which mandated attendance may be encountered as a prerequisite for our EM residents’ participation in a clinical training venue.

These position statements should not be interpreted as a blanket condemnation of all merit badge courses. Program directors may choose to examine the course content on a case by case basis for their less experienced EM residents, and decide if the course fits their curriculum needs.

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