Illinois ACLS, PALS, BLS & CPR

Nationwide Health training is an online provider of certification classes for CPR and FIRST AID, PALS, BLS & ACLS training. Our comprehensive training courses were developed by practicing physicians to meet the most current guidelines set by the American Heart Association. Each course will include study materials, a final exam and a provider card. An in-person skills test is not a requirement to receive your certification.

Our certification and renewal courses are self-paced and can be completed entirely online from any internet-ready device. Each course can be taken individually or combined for a discounted price. We offer a CPR/AED/First Aid package or any combination of our medical certification courses: ACLS/PALS, ACLS/BLS, ACLS/PALS/BLS, PALS/BLS and receive a 15% discount on multiple class purchases. If you choose to take a package course, you do not have to complete the courses at the same time; you can complete one and come back to complete the other. There is no time limit for course completion.

To begin your online course, select the class that you would like to take. Once the transaction is complete, you will receive a link to the course materials. You may take as much or little time as needed to review the materials. When you are confident that you have retained the information provided in the course, you may choose to begin the certification exam. The exam is not timed, however, it must be done in one sitting. If you exit out of the exam, you will need to start over. Your test will be automatically graded upon completion. If you attained a passing score, you may immediately print a digital copy of your provider card and certificate. If you do not pass the exam, you will need to retake it before you can receive your certification.

Certification cards are valid for two years. Once you are certified, you are eligible to take a recertification course from us for renewal. If it has been more than 5 years since the last time you completed a certification course, we recommend completing the full certification course again.

FIRST AID & CPR AED CERTIFICATION AND RECERTIFICATION

Who should take our CPR & First Aid certification courses?

• Anyone in Illinois who is required by their employer to be trained and certified in CPR.
• Health and wellness professionals included nurses, doctors, emergency responders and emergency room technicians.
• Job seekers who would like to add CPR certification to their resumes
• Individuals who work with kids, the elderly or disabled
• Parents who would like to learn the most up-to-date CPR and First Aid techniques.

Effective July 2014, training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) are required in secondary schooling. High schools in Illinois are required to offer the training classes are part of their curriculum. Certification is not required and the class is not a graduation requirement. Parents are able to opt out of the class for their child. The CPR & AED class are taught by qualified teachers in accordance with the guidelines set by the AHA or American Red Cross.

In addition to initial certification courses, we offer CPR & First Aid recertification courses for individuals who have expired provider cards. We recommend renewal students to review the study materials for updates to the guidelines prior to taking the renewal exam. CPR, AED & First Aid guidelines are updated every 5 years by the American Heart association.

PALS, ACLS BLS CERTIFICATION IN ILLINOIS

Basic Life Support is similar to CPR training but BLS is generally geared toward professional rescuers, while CPR is required for many non-rescuer positions. If you are unsure which course you should enroll in, we recommend confirming this information with your employer. If you are completing the course as a job seeker in the healthcare field, we recommend completing the BLS training course.

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is required for medical professionals who work in emergency settings such as emergency rooms and intensive care units. ACLS treatments are used medical emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes and overdose. ACLS should only be performed by qualified professionals that are confident with the techniques and have earned their certification. Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Life Support (PALS) training focuses on pediatric emergencies. The 2015 AHA update had minor changes made to the ACLS guidelines. Individuals who are taking the renewal course should take note of all improvements.

ABOUT ILLINOIS

Illinois, nicknamed as Prairie State, is located in the Midwestern region of the US. In the 2015 Census, the estimated population was 12,859,995 which was actually a decrease from the previous year. Only six other states in the nation had a decrease in population in 2016. Even with the negative growth, Illinois continues to be the sixth most populous state in the US. The capital of Illinois is Springfield. Three US presidents were elected as an Illinois resident: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant and Barack Obama. The state is named “Land of Lincoln” in honor of the 16^th president. Illinois is home to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange which is the largest future exchange in the entire world.

The leading health issues and causes of death in the state are heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic lower respiratory disease. According to US News & Rankings the top three medical facilities in Illinois are Northwestern Memorial hospital, Rush University Medical Center & University of Chicago Medical Center.

CHICAGO

In 2015, the US census estimates that the population of Chicago was 2.7 million. Chicago is the most populous city in the state and the third in the country. Chicago is a part of Cook County and the Chicago metropolitan area, also known as Chicagoland. Chicagoland is the third most populous metro area in the country with 9.4 million people. In 2016, more than 54 million people visited the Chicago area, which made it one of most visited cities in the country. Chicago has two major league baseball teams, the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs. Additionally, they have an NBA team (Chicago Bulls), a NHL team (Chicago Blackhawks) and a NFL team (Chicago Bears). Each team has multiple championship wins.

According to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air Report, Chicago was ranked 21^st for most polluted cities in 2016 in regards to ozone pollution. Unhealthy ozone levels put residents at a higher risk for health issues such as asthma attacks and cardiovascular problems. The report showed that the city had more unhealthy days than the prior year. Fortunately, the Chicago area has many nationally recognized cardiovascular and heart institutions. The Northwestern Memorial Hospital was ranked number six for adult cardiology and heart hospitals and number 17 for Adult Pulmonology Hospitals by US News & World Report.

AURORA

Aurora is the second most populous state in Chicago with an estimated 200k residents as of 2014. Aurora falls into Kane, DuPage, Kendall and Will counties. Aurora has a humid continental climate with strong seasonal changes, extremely cold winters and hot summers. There is no dry season and it is partly cloudy the entire year.

Aurora ranks below the US average for amount of physicians per 100,000 populations. The air and water quality in Aurora ranks higher than the US average with a lower risk of getting cancer and other respiratory diseases due to air quality. According to livability.com, Aurora residents rank number 2 within the state for “Healthy Behaviors”. The ranking was based on non-smokers, healthy weight and insured.

May 11, 2017 – An Aurora, IL man’s life was saved by paramedics when he had a heart attack. New protocol requires paramedics to administer 30 minutes of uninterrupted CPR to the victim before transferring them to a hospital. This new protocol will ensure that the patient gets the immediate help that they need, increasing the chances of survival and recovery. Since the new protocol was implemented, there has been an increase of 7% in “return of circulation” rate, the amount of patients that begin breathing again. Read more about this story here: http://www.firehouse.com/news/12333683/new-paramedic-protocol-helped-save-life-of-heart-attack-victim-in-aurora-il-firefighter-news

ROCKFORD

Rockford is the most northern major  city in Illinois and is west of Elgin. As of 2016, Rockford is the fourth most populous city in Illinois and is in the Winnebago County. The crime rate in Rockford is extremely high with the chances of being a victim of a violent crime being 1 in 63, compared to the rest of the state which is 1 in 261. The crime index for Rockford is 91.7 (out of 100) while the index for Chicago is only 58.9. The average for the country is 31.1. According to neighborhoodscout.com, Rockford is only safer than 4% of the United States. In 2015, the FBI released a report that ranked Rockford the fifth most dangerous city in the nation.

JOLIET

Joliet is located in northern Chicago, south of Aurora and southwest of Chicago. As of 2016, Joliet became the fourth most populous city in Illinois with 149,395 residents. Joliet is in the Kendall and Will counties. The Chicagoland Speedway is located in Joliet; it has a capacity of 55,000 and is the host for NASCAR races. Other landmarks to visit are the Old Joliet Prison, the Joliet Iron and Steel Works and Joliet Areas Historical Museum.

August 22, 2010 – 9-year old Joliet resident, Logan Hear was an unlikely hero that saved his brother’s life with his knowledge of CPR. Logan’s 2-year old brother was found unresponsive in their swimming pool and their mom was too distraught to correctly administer CPR. Logan interrupted his mother and took over. After a couple of breaths by Logan, his brother began breathing again. Had Logan not been trained in CPR, his brother may not have survived. Read this amazing story here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/year-hero-saves-brother-cpr/story?id=11457264

NAPERVILLE

According to a Wikipedia article, Naperville has been ranked one of the nation’s safest cities, second-best city to live and one of the wealthiest cities in the northwest. In 2015, the population was 147,100 making it the fifth most populous cities in Illinois. The violent crime rate in Naperville is low at a rate of 19.2 compared to the Illinois average which is 37.9.

The city is an excellent place to stay active and boasts 63 different running trails. Walking, jogging or running improves cardiovascular health and reduces the risk of heart disease. Like most other counties, heart disease is the number one cause of death in the DuPage and Will counties. Heart disease can be avoided by making changes to your lifestyle.

RESOURCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois

http://www.dph.illinois.gov/data-statistics/vital-statistics/death-statistics/more-statistics

http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/cardiology-and-heart-surgery

http://www.lung.org/local-content/_content-items/about-us/media/press-releases/chicago-air-quality-worsened-sota2016.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

http://www.bestplaces.net/health/city/illinois/aurora

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naperville,_Illinois