Does BLS / ACLS Certification Improve Residency Chances ?

The American Heart Association (AHA) provides Basic life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) training and certificates to healthcare providers in U.S. , which includes physicians, nurses, paramedics, medical technologists , etc. This post is in response to many queries from IMGs wondering if doing such courses in advance would improve their residency-seeking resumes

Here are some facts to scratch your head over:

1. Every Residency Program / Fellowship Program will anyways arrange for the training course during the program orientation.
2. Almost Everyone who does it, passes the test and gets certified on the first go, if you do not make it, you get a quick revision followed by a second attempt - which is often easier i heard...
3. Finally, the certification is not permanent and the training needs to be done again after two years.
4. The training / exam is fairly easy, and many places even offer it online by training through online videos and tests.

So, it's easy to see why a BLS / ACLS certification would not really make you a more competitive candidate for a residency - So why waste money ! Instead get certified when the program provides it you :-)


Additionally - doing the course with your residency batchmates is a great opportunity to make friends with fellow AMGs and IMGs - I had fun doing the BLS/ ACLS training with my residency batch mates - we practiced in teams, resuscitated and shocked mannequins, took turns being team leaders and shouting orders to the team while rapidly assessing and treating the poor dolls for simulated V-fib, Bradycardia, Pulseless Electrical Activity, AMIs and more....



Note: Places offering electives, externships often rovide ALCS / BLS as a requirement.