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Six Beu Health Center staff members recently completed advanced cardiac life support training administered by the American Heart Assn.; front row, l-r: Ashley Howard, R.N., Tony Bowling, R.N., Sujata Karkare, M.D.; back row, l-r: Rick Iverson, M.D., Jack McPherson, M.D., Rob Wallace, A.P.N.
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Barb Slater, R.N. (left) and Nancy Colvin, R.N., stocked Beu Health Center's cardiac crash cart. The new equipment includes a cardiac monitor.
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Beu Health Center Staff Trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support

November 11, 2008

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MACOMB, IL -- Enhancing and advancing knowledge is integral in higher education, but in the fast-paced field of health and medical care, it can make the difference between life and death.

Several staff members at Western Illinois University's Beu Health Center recently completed advance cardiac life support (ACLS) training, which according to Beu Health Center Director Mary Margaret Harris, has increased knowledge among Beu's staff and will help the entire facility be better prepared to handle a life-threatening emergency until an ambulance arrives.

Administered through the American Heart Association, the ACLS training is a 13-hour course through which providers enhance their skills in the treatment of the adult victim of a cardiac arrest or other cardiopulmonary emergencies.

"Six Beu staff members successfully completed the rigorous training, which emphasizes the importance of basic life support cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to patient survival, the integration of effective basic life support with advanced cardiovascular life support interventions and the importance of effective team interaction and communication during resuscitation," Harris said.

Harris noted that Beu staff members continuously strive to not only maintain current medical knowledge and training, but to also achieve the latest and most advanced training and knowledge available. In August, Beu received accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), which distinguishes Beu from many other college health care facilities by providing a safe work environment and the highest quality of care to patients.

Beu's Medical Chief of Staff Dr. Richard Iverson was also recently recognized for his successful completion of the American Board of Family Medicine's recertification examination.

"Board certification confers a standard of excellence in knowledge and practice to physicians who are not only certified through the examination process, but who also work diligently on the maintenance of their skills during the seven-year cycle between examinations," Harris said.

The latest knowledge advancement among Beu staff members, the ACLS training, was prompted by the center's commitment to excellence as well as a response to a medical incident.

"Last spring, we had a student go into respiratory arrest likely due to an overdose of medication," explained Dr. Iverson. "Everything worked out well in that emergency, but we always review critical incidents, and during our review we discovered a number of things that we could improve upon."

Iverson also cited the Northern Illinois University (NIU) shooting tragedy in Spring 2007 as a reason why Beu staff members decided to complete the ACLS course.

"Like us, the medical staff at NIU's student-health facility had always counted on quick response from the ambulance service. During that incident, however, that center had a couple of seriously injured students, but all the ambulances reported to the shooting site, so it was almost an hour before the ambulance personnel made it to the health center," he said. "Not knowing how long it might be before transportation to the hospital was available, medical staff there realized they needed to be prepared to care for the critically injured and to stabilize them. That was the other factor that prompted us to renew our ACLS training."

In addition to possessing the updated skills the training provided, Beu Health Center staff members have also upgraded its cardiac crash cart and stocked it with such cutting-edge cardiac care equipment as a cardiac monitor.

"These tools also will enable us to provide advanced care in emergency and critical situations and help us to deliver advanced cardiac care should that situation arise," Harris added.

For more information, contact Harris at (309) 298-1888 or MM-Harris@wiu.edu. Visit Beu Health Center online at beu.wiu.edu.

Posted By: Teresa Koltzenburg (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing