Education Classes at VMH
VMH hosts several education classes at our facility, both for our staff, fellow health care professionals and our community members. These courses range in complexity, from basic to advanced. The courses, along with their description and whether they are AHA certified, can be found below.
If you have any questions, please contact Jackie Krueger, Staff Educator by phone at (608)637-4321 or email at jkrueger@vmh.org.
The American Heart Association strongly promotes knowledge and proficiency in all AHA courses and has developed instructional materials for this purpose. Use of these materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the AHA. Any fees charged for such a course, except for a portion of fees needed for AHA course materials, do not represent income to the AHA.
Safe Sitter prepares boys and girls, ages 11 to 13, for the basics of childcare. Emphasis is placed on health and safety issues, particularly choking management, and the use of 911 for emergencies. The class teaches safe and nurturing childcare techniques, behavior management skills, and appropriate responses to medical emergencies.
Students must be 11 years old to take this class.
Two class dates will be offered this year: June 19th and July 23rd. Class time is 9 am until 2:30 pm. There will be 30 minutes for lunch–please have your child bring a sack lunch.
Class fee is $50.00.
This course provides the knowledge and skills needed to evaluate and manage the first 10 minutes of a sudden cardiac arrest. It also addresses acute coronary syndromes, stroke recognition, return of spontaneous circulation and their treatments. It is designed for personnel who staff emergency departments, intensive care units or critical care departments, as well as physicians, nurses, emergency technicians, paramedics, respiratory therapists, and other professionals who may respond to a cardiovascular emergency. This certification is through the American Heart Association and is valid for two years.
ACLS Recognition (for those who have never been certified or certification has lapsed)
Fee is $240.00 which includes materials and lunch for community members.
ACLS Renewal (must have a current certification to attend)
Fee is $220.00 which includes materials and lunch for community members.
This course provides content for healthcare professionals, covering core material such as chest compressions and ventilations for adult, pediatric, and infant populations (including two-rescuer scenarios and use of the bag-valve mask), foreign-body airway obstruction, and automated external defibrillation. The Recognition course takes approximately 3.5 hours and the Renewal course takes approximately 2.5 hours. This certification is through the American Heart Association and is valid for two years. The fee for both courses is $50.00.
BLS Recognition (for those who have never been certified or certification has lapsed)
BLS Renewal (for those who hold a current certification)
The Heartsaver CPR and AED course trains non-healthcare and community rescuers to recognize and treat life-threatening emergencies with adult, child, and infant victims. It includes sections on CPR and relief of choking in adults, children, and infants. It supports the Heartsaver CPR course for responders who require a credential for completion. This course will NOT fulfill the requirement if you need a CPR certificate for a healthcare degree such as CNA, MA, or Nursing. This course is approximately 3 hours in length. This certification is through the American Heart Association and is valid for two years.
The fee for the course is $50.00.
The First Aid course provides training in basic first-aid procedures (including the first-aid skills recommended by OSHA) in a format that can be delivered in a single day. Its highly effective video-based-instruction format enables students to experience case-based scenarios in a realistic setting. Instructors introduce a topic, then show a video segment to present cases for discussion or demonstrate a particular skill. The First Aid course is specially designed to train anyone who might be the first to respond in the workplace or community and can be tailored to address the needs of a specific workplace or group of employees. The course is approximately 3 hours in length. This certification is through the American Heart Association and is valid for two years. The fee for the course is $50.
ALSO is an evidence-based, interprofessional, and multidisciplinary training program that equips the entire maternity care team with skills to effectively manage obstetric emergencies. This comprehensive course encourages a standardized team-based approach amongst physicians, residents, nurse midwives, registered nurses, and other members of the maternity care team to improve patient safety and positively impact maternal outcomes. This certification is through the AAFP and is valid for three years.
This course is a basic EKG class which reviews the anatomy and physiology of the heart and its conduction system. Participants learn how to read an EKG strip and identify the major and minor arrhythmia’s encountered in daily practice. Numerous opportunities will be provided to interpret EKG strips. A test is administered at the completion of the course to assess competency. The fee for this course is $135.00 which includes materials. There is NO certification for this course.
This comprehensive course presents information on basic electrophysiology, normal ECG measurements, basic arrhythmias, basic ACLS drugs, usage, and routes of administration during cardiovascular emergencies, and how to integrate basic drug pharmacology into ACLS algorithms. It is perfect for credentialed health care providers who either must or wish to supplement their training. The fee for this course is $75.00 which includes materials and lunch for community members. There is NO certification for this course.
This course is designed for health care professionals to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to perform peripheral intravenous cannulation and venipuncture. The course provides education on the basic anatomy of upper extremity veins, introduces information and techniques to safely initiate I.V. access, and reviews the management of complications which may occur. Completion of this course does not imply that an individual has the competence to perform intravenous cannulation. Each health care facility is responsible for determining the level of competence and qualifications required for anyone to assume clinical responsibility. The fee for this course is $200.00 which includes materials and lunch for community members. There is NO certification for this course.
NRP conveys an evidence-based approach to care of the newborn at birth and facilitates effective team-based care for healthcare professionals who care for newborns at the time of delivery. NRP utilizes a blended learning approach, which includes online testing, online case-based simulations, and hands-on case-based simulation/debriefing that focus on critical leadership, communication, and team-work skills. The fee for this course is $170.00 which includes materials and online testing. The hands-on portion takes approximately 3.5 hours to complete.
The PALS course is designed for pediatricians, nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists, emergency physicians, and other health care providers who care for infants and children. The course teaches participants:
- To recognize infants and children at risk of cardiopulmonary arrest
- Strategies needed to prevent cardiopulmonary arrest in infants and children
- Skills needed to resuscitate and stabilize infants and children in respiratory failure, shock, or cardiopulmonary arrest
This certification is through the American Heart Association and is valid for two years.
PALS Recognition (for those who have never been certified or certification has lapsed)
Fee is $240.00 which includes materials and lunch for community members.
PALS Renewal (must have a current certification to attend)
Fee is $220.00 which includes materials and lunch for community members.
This comprehensive course is designed for those health care workers who do not routinely provide care to critically ill children and who are not required to have a PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) credential–such as physicians, nurses, pre-hospital, and in-hospital providers outside of critical care areas, outpatient clinic staff, and school-based providers. The course teaches participants to identify a pediatric victim at risk of severe cardiopulmonary distress, provide early intervention to stabilize the child and make arrangements for the next level of care. Participants learn to recognize the signs of impending respiratory failure or shock, initiate the appropriate treatment, and follow recommended procedures for preventing disability and death in children. This certification is through the American Heart Association and is valid for two years. The fee for this course is $90.00 which includes materials and lunch for community members.