ABLS Course Descriptions

The Advanced Burn Life Support (ABLS) Provider Course is an eight-hour course for physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, therapists, and paramedics. The course provides guidelines in the assessment and management of the burn patient during the first 24 hours post injury. Following a series of lectures, case studies are presented for group discussions. An opportunity to work with a simulated burn patient to reinforce the assessment, stabilization, and the American Burn Association transfer criteria to a Burn Center will be given. Final testing consists of a written exam and a practical assessment return demonstration.

The registration fee covers the tuition, manual, study guide, test, and continuing education credits. The ABA designates this continuing medical education activity for up to 7 credit hours in Category 1 of the Physician’s Recognition Award of the American Medical Association. This program also has been approved by AACN Certification Corporation guidelines for 8 contact hours, CERP Category A.

Course Objectives:

• Evaluate a patient with a serious burn
• Define the magnitude and severity of the injury
• Identify and establish priorities of treatment
• Manage the airway and support ventilation
• Initiate and monitor fluid resuscitation
• Apply correct methods of physiological monitoring
• Determine which patients should be transferred to a burn center
• Organize and conduct the inter-hospital transfer of a seriously injured burn patient.

The Advanced Burn Life Support (ABLS) Instructor Course is a six-hour course designed for those physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and paramedics who have experience in daily patient management of burn injuries. The American Burn Association maintains the records that identify all persons who participated in the ABLS Instructor Course and also those given a certificate of completion for the ABLS Instructor Course and thus authorized as ABLS Instructors.

The Regional Chairman and/or the American Burn Association identify a Coordinator and a Course Medical Director to work with the American Burn Association in organization of the course. All Instructor Courses must be taught by at least on National Faculty and an ABLS Educator. The instructors must:

• Successfully complete the ABLS Instructor Course (granted a certificate of completion for the ABLS Instructor Course).
• Teach (2) ABLS Provider Courses while being observed by National Faculty.
• Be approved as an ABLS Instructor.

The ABA designates this continuing medical education activity for up to 4.5 credit hours in Category 1 of the Physician’s Recognition Award of the American Medical Association. This program also has been approved by AACN Certification Corporation guidelines for 10 contact hours, CERP Category A.

Only upon the determination of the course faculty that the participant successfully completed the simulations, the skill testing stations, and the micro-teaching session is the participant given a certificate of completion for the ABLS Instructor Course.