Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences Basic Life Support is taught using HeartCode® BLS and retained with quality improvement sessions that focus on discrete BLS skills. HeartCode BLS is an interactive, self-directed learning program that completes the cognitive and skills requirements of the American Heart Association BLS Healthcare Providers Course. The program incorporates technology that allows the student to perform compressions and ventilations while providing instant feedback and evaluation through intelligent debriefing. Course completion consists of two separate elements: completing the computer-based cognitive portion and demonstrating skills by using a manikin system. Following completion of the HeartCode BLS, DMU students apply the BLS information in mock-code team simulations. Students/learners from all DMU programs, including the osteopathic, podiatric, physician assistant, physical therapy and occupational therapy programs, are trained annually at DMU.
DMU’s BLS environment resides on campus in our Simulation Center. BLS classroom space is divided into two HeartCode BLS rooms and one mock-code simulation room. The HeartCode BLS rooms contain five HeartCode workstations. The stations each include an adult manikin, pediatric manikin, laptop/tablet, headphones and bag-valve masks. These stations allow students to complete the computer-based HeartCode BLS as individuals. The simulation room is used by individual teams of five students in order to practice the BLS skills in a mock-code scenario. The learned skills are subsequently utilized in other areas of DMU’s simulation center.