ACLS in Reno: How to Prepare and Pass

ACLS doesn't have to be stressful. The students who struggle usually aren't missing knowledge. They skipped the precourse work, or it's been two years since they ran a code. This guide covers exactly how to prepare for ACLS in Reno, whether it's your first card or your fifth renewal.

Who needs ACLS in Reno

Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) is required for most clinicians who respond to cardiac arrest and other cardiovascular emergencies: emergency, ICU, step-down, telemetry, cath lab, and PACU nurses, paramedics and flight crews, physicians, advanced practice providers, CRNAs, and respiratory therapists. Requirements vary by employer and unit, so confirm with yours.

Your AHA ACLS card is valid for two years, through the end of the month it was issued. Renew while it's current and you can take the renewal course. Once it lapses, you'll need the full initial course.

What changed in the 2025 ACLS course

The AHA released the 2025 Guidelines for CPR and ECC in October 2025, and AHA instructors have taught the updated courses since March 1, 2026. If your last ACLS was before then, here's what's different:

• Epinephrine in shockable rhythms: it's reasonable to give epinephrine after initial defibrillation attempts have failed.
• Vascular access: IV first. IO is reasonable if initial IV attempts are unsuccessful.
• Vasopressin: offers no advantage over epinephrine alone.
• Double sequential and vector change defibrillation: usefulness is not established.
• Post-cardiac arrest care: keep MAP at least 65 mm Hg, and maintain temperature control for at least 36 hours in adults who remain unresponsive.
• One Chain of Survival now covers adult and pediatric, in-hospital and out-of-hospital arrest.
• BLS updates you'll see in ACLS: you can adjust a bra instead of removing it to place AED pads, and the two-finger infant compression technique is retired.

Before class: the precourse work

The AHA requires every ACLS student to complete the precourse self-assessment, which covers rhythm recognition, pharmacology, and practical application. You need a score of 70% or higher, and you can take it as many times as you need. Bring your completion certificate and a photo ID to class.

Use your score report as a study guide. If you scored low on rhythms or pharmacology, spend your study time there instead of on what you already know.

Taking HeartCode ACLS? Complete the online portion through the AHA first, then bring your HeartCode completion certificate to your skills test in our Reno classroom.

What to study for ACLS

High-quality CPR

ACLS starts with BLS. Push hard and fast at 100 to 120 compressions per minute and at least 2 inches deep, allow full chest recoil, and keep pauses under 10 seconds. Your instructor watches compression quality throughout every case.

Rhythms

• Cardiac arrest: VF, pulseless VT, PEA, and asystole
• Bradycardias, including AV blocks
• Tachycardias: sinus tachycardia, SVT, atrial fibrillation and flutter, and VT with a pulse

Algorithms

• Adult cardiac arrest, both the shockable and nonshockable paths
• Adult bradycardia with a pulse
• Adult tachycardia with a pulse
• Post-cardiac arrest care
• Acute coronary syndromes and suspected stroke

Key drugs

• Epinephrine: 1 mg IV/IO every 3 to 5 minutes in cardiac arrest
• Amiodarone: 300 mg first dose, then 150 mg, for shock-refractory VF or pulseless VT
• Lidocaine: 1 to 1.5 mg/kg first dose, then 0.5 to 0.75 mg/kg, as an alternative to amiodarone
• Atropine: 1 mg every 3 to 5 minutes for symptomatic bradycardia, up to 3 mg total
• Adenosine: 6 mg rapid IV push, then 12 mg if needed, for stable, regular, narrow-complex tachycardia

Always follow the current AHA ACLS Provider Manual and your local protocols.

How the megacode works, and how to pass it

The megacode is a simulated cardiac arrest where you act as team leader. Your instructor runs the scenario and watches whether you follow the algorithm, keep CPR high quality, and lead your team. What works:

• Start with the basics. Check responsiveness and breathing, call for help and the defibrillator, and get compressions going.
• Assign roles out loud: compressor, airway, monitor and defibrillator, IV/IO and medications, and timer and recorder.
• Use closed-loop communication. Give clear orders, have team members repeat them back, and confirm when they're done.
• Think in 2-minute cycles. Rhythm check, shock if indicated, resume CPR immediately, then medications. Have your recorder call out the time.
• Say your thinking out loud, including the reversible causes, the H's and T's.
• Don't stop at ROSC. Many cases continue into post-cardiac arrest care.

Classroom or HeartCode ACLS?

• Classroom ACLS: fully in person with an instructor. A good fit for your first ACLS card or when you want structured review. $225 for your first card, $150 to renew.
• HeartCode ACLS: complete the AHA's online portion on your own schedule, then come in for a hands-on skills test. A good fit for experienced providers who are renewing. The skills test is $100, and the online portion is purchased separately through the AHA.

Both lead to the same AHA ACLS Provider eCard, issued the same day you pass.

Renew ACLS and BLS together

ACLS tests your CPR skills, but it doesn't issue a BLS card. Most employers want both current, so line up your renewal dates and knock them out together. We teach both in the same classroom on Moana Lane.

Why ACLS with Hinson CPR? We're a veteran-owned AHA Training Site in Reno with small classes taught by experienced emergency and critical care professionals. We're an approved Nevada State Board of Nursing CEU provider, and AHA courses are CAPCE accredited for EMS.