Think of APLS as a "curriculum," as the "body of knowledge" in pediatric emergency
medicine. Yes, it covers the initial recognition and treatment of respiratory distress
and shock, but then it does so much more. It really is the "total package" of what
you need to learn-and what you need to teach-about diagnosing and treating a wide
variety of illness and injuries in pediatric patients.
Independent Study
If you do nothing more than purchase the student resource manual, APLS: The Pediatric
Emergency Medicine Resource, Fifth Edition, for your own personal review
and study, you will learn from some of the best-known experts in pediatric emergency
care-the authors and editors whose names you will recognize from across the United
States and Canada. Read the chapters and assess your learning by answering the "Check
Your Knowledge" questions at the end of each chapter.
Augmenting Emergency Medicine Education
For teachers, residency program directors and faculty, CME directors, and other
physician educators-You do not have to conduct an "official" APLS Course to take
advantage of the APLS teaching tools. Any physician, nurse, physician assistant, or allied health audience will benefit from APLS
education. Do you need to teach your students, residents, or colleagues about pediatric
airway management, cardiovascular disorders, or orthopedic emergencies? The materials
are modular-you can pick one, two, three, or several topics from the curriculum,
then present them using the presentations in either Lecture or Small Group Discussion
format, and you can provide your students with a terrific student resource manual
for their own continuing education. The Image Bank and Table Bank also allow you
to customize and update your own presentations. The hands-on Skill Stations include
step-by-step instructions, equipment lists, and student handouts. You will also
find two 30-item multiple-choice exams on the ToolKit, and a bank of questions you
can use to create your own exams.
APLS: The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Resource, Fifth Edition is a valuable
resource for pediatric residents in training. It covers a broad range of pediatric
conditions and is case-based, which makes for more interesting, real-life learning.
Many of the topics covered are among the requirements for residency education in
pediatrics:
- Acute episodic medical illnesses such as meningitis, sepsis, dehydration, pneumonia,
diarrhea, renal failure, seizure, coma, hypotension, hypertension, and respiratory
illness.
- Problems associated with chronic disease such as diabetic ketoacidosis, status asthmaticus,
status epilepticus, congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis, gastrointestinal,
metabolic and neurologic disorders.
- Over 90 step-by-step procedures such as endotracheal intubation, placement of I/O
and IV lines, umbilical artery and vein catheter placement, thoracic procedures,
conscious sedation and pain management, surgical airway techniques, wound care,
suturing, splinting, and casting.
APLS: The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Resource and the Instructor's ToolKit CD-ROM
are a complete teaching-and-learning system commonly used independently of the traditional
APLS Course conducted for CME.
Traditional APLS Courses
First, some history-the first APLS Course was implemented in 1984 and a lot has
changed since the AAP and ACEP began collaborating on the first edition of APLS.
Through the years, the dedication and expertise of task force and committee members,
editors, course directors, and instructors continually enriched the course and related
materials.
One of the goals of the APLS Steering Committee is to provide APLS Course Directors
with the freedom to make the choices that will best meet their needs. What is your
preferred delivery format? What will work best for the size of your student group?
You can decide whether to present a module as a Lecture or Small Group Discussion.
How much time do you, your faculty, and your students have to spend in the classroom?
You can follow the recommended 2-day schedule or you can design your own course
using the APLS curriculum. You can even explore the new 1-day course option with
prescribed self-study, designed to help reduce the time and expense of conducting
a multi-day course in the classroom. Completion of either course entitles your students
to receive an APLS Course Completion Card after fulfilling the requirements
of the APLS Course Completion Examination. You can conduct APLS Courses for 10,
20, 50, 100 participants, as many students as your resources can support.
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