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Advanced Trauma Life Support

ATLS logoUpcoming 11th Edition ATLS Courses

ATLS Full Course (2-day)

  • July 23-24, 2026
  • Oct. 22-23, 2026

Student Refresher Course

  • Aug. 20, 2026

Registration Information

 

History

The delivery of trauma care in the United States before 1980 was at best inconsistent. A tragedy occurred in February 1976 that changed trauma care in the "first hour" for injured patients in the United States and much of the rest of the world. Dr. Jim Styner, an orthopaedic surgeon was piloting his plane and crashed in a rural Nebraska cornfield. He sustained serous injuries, three of his children sustained critical injuries, and one child sustained minor injuries. His wife was killed instantly. The care that he and his family subsequently received was inadequate by the day’s standards. The surgeon, recognizing how inadequate their treatment was, stated, "When I can provide better care in the field with limited resources than what my children and I received at the primary care facility, there is something wrong with the system, and the system has to be changed."

A group of private-practice surgeons and doctors in Nebraska, the Lincoln Medical Education Foundation , and the Lincoln-area Mobile Heart Team Nurses, with the help of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Nebraska State Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and the Southeast Nebraska Emergency Medical Services identified the need for training in advanced trauma life support. A combined education format of lectures, lifesaving skill demonstrations, and practical laboratory experiences formed the first prototype ATLS course

A new approach to the provision of care for individuals suffering major, life-threatening injury premiered in 1978, the year of the first ATLS course. This prototype ATLS course was filed-tested in conjunction with the Southeast Nebraska Emergency Medical Services. One year later, the ACS COT, recognizing trauma as a surgical disease, enthusiastically adopted the course under the imprimatur of the College and incorporated it as an educational program.

This course was based on the assumption that appropriate and timely care could significantly improve the outcome of injured patients. The original intent of the ATLS Program was to train doctors who do not manage major trauma on a daily basis, and the primary audience for the course has not changed. However, today the ATLS method is accepted as a standard for the "first hour" of trauma care by many who provide care for the injured, whether the patient is treated in an isolated rural area or a state-of-the-art trauma center.

 

▼   Program Development

The program has grown each year in the number of both courses and participants. To date, the course had trained more than 1.5 million participants in more than 75,000 courses around the world. Currently, an average of 50,000 clinicians are trained each year in over 3,000 courses. The greatest growth in recent years has been in the international community, and this group currently represents approximately more than half of all ATLS activity.

The text for this course is revised approximately every 4 years and incorporates new methods of evaluation and treatment that have been accepted parts of the armament of providers who treat trauma patients. Changes that are made to the program reflect accepted, verified practice patterns, not "cutting edge" technology or experimental methods.

▼   Course Information

Objectives

Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

  • Demonstrate the skills necessary to assess and manage the patients with multiple injuries in the early hours of care
  • Establish management priorities for the multiply injured patient
  • Demonstrate concepts and principles of primary and secondary surveys

Student Refresher Course

  • 1/2 day course format
  • Provides core content overview, written and practical testing
  • Successful completion status valid for 4 years from course date.

2-Day Provider Course

  • 2 day course format
  • Provides core content overview, written and practical testing
  • Successful completion status valid for 4 years from course date.

Instructor Course

  • 1.5 day course ONLY available to physicians who were identified as having "Instructor potential" in a previous Student Course

Location

The course will take place at USA Health University Hospital located at 2451 University Hospital Drive, Mobile, Alabama 36617. Driving and parking instruction will be mailed with the registration acknowledge.

Continuing Medical Education Credit Information

Accreditation
The American College of Surgeons is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM 
The American College of Surgeons designates this live activity for a maximum of 16 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Of the AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM listed above, a maximum of 16 credits meet the requirements for Self-Assessment.

Of the AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM listed above, a maximum of 16 credits meet the requirements for Trauma.*

The content of this activity may meet certain mandates of regulatory bodies. Please note that ACS has not and does not verify the content for such mandates with any regulatory body. Individual physicians are responsible for verifying the content satisfies such requirements. 
 

ACS Logo  ACCME Accreditation Logo

▼   Registration Information

Fees

2-Day Provider Course: $995

1-Day Refresher Course: $695

 

Course Refund & Transfer Policy

Non-Refundable Fees

All registrations include a $200 non-refundable fee, which covers required online course materials.

 

Course Withdrawal

1. Cancellation Requests (≥ 2 Weeks Prior)

Participants who cancel at least 14 days prior to the course date will receive a refund minus the $200 non-refundable fee. 

  • If course materials have already been mailed, shipping and handling costs will also be deducted from the refund.

2. Late Cancellation (< 2 Weeks Prior)

Cancellations made within 14 days of the course date are not eligible for any refund.

 

No-Show & Incomplete Requirements

1. No-Show Policy

Participants who do not attend the course (no-show) will not receive any refund.

2. Failure to Complete Requirements

Participants who do not complete American College of Surgeons (ACS) required pre-course materials or requirements 5 days before the course date will not receive any refund or be allowed to attend the course.

 

Transfers

1. Transfers Requested ≥ 2 Weeks Prior

Participants may transfer to a future course date at no additional charge, subject to availability.

2. Transfers Requested < 2 Weeks Prior

If a transfer is approved within 14 days of the course:

  • A 25% administrative fee will be assessed.
  • The participant will also be responsible for any applicable course fee differences.

 

Course Cancellation by USA Health

If USA Health University Hospital cancels a course:

  • Participants will be offered either a full refund or the option to transfer to a future course date at no cost.

 

Exceptions & Special Circumstances

Requests for exceptions due to medical emergencies or other unforeseen circumstances may be submitted for review.

 
 

Contact Information

For more information, please contact Rebecca Scarbrough at rscarbrough@health.southalabama.edu or (251) 471-7971.