Advanced Trauma Life Support
Upcoming 11th Edition ATLS Courses
ATLS Full Course (2-day)
- July 23-24, 2026
- Oct. 22-23, 2026
Student Refresher Course
- Aug. 20, 2026
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.
Need
- Injury is precipitous and indiscriminate.
- The clinician who first attends to the injured patient has the greatest opportunity to impact outcome.
- The price of injury is excessive in dollars as well as human suffering.
Program
- The CME program was developed by the ACS Committee on Trauma.
- It provides one safe, reliable method for assessing and initially managing the trauma patient.
- It was updated in 2025 to reflect best practices and integrate important concepts such as team dynamics and communicating serious news with the family of trauma patients.
Benefits
- ATLS offers an organized approach for the evaluation and management of seriously injured patients.
- It provides a foundation of common knowledge for all members of the trauma team.
- It is applicable in both large urban centers and small rural emergency departments.
Objectives
- ATLS is used to assess a patient's condition rapidly and accurately using a standard algorithm.
- It allows clinicians to recognize, prioritize, and manage life-threatening injuries.
- It helps determine whether the specific management needs exceed the resources of a facility and/or the capability of a clinician.
- It promotes effective teamwork, trauma-informed care, clear communication, and injury prevention.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate the skills necessary to assess and manage patients with multiple injuries in the early hours of care.
- Establish management priorities for patients with multiple injuries.
- Demonstrate concepts and principles of primary and secondary surveys.
Student Refresher Course
- Taught in a half-day format.
- Provides a core content overview and written and practical testing.
- Offers physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) the opportunity to maintain a current status.
- Offered exclusively to current ATLS-verified clinicians.
- Grants a student four years of valid status upon successful completion.
Two-Day Provider Course
- Taught in a two-day format.
- Provides a core content overview and written and practical testing.
- Teaches medical core content in an interactive, in-person format.
- Provides a hands-on skills session in simulated trauma settings.
- Grants four years of valid status upon successful completion.
- Gives course participants identified as having instructor potential (IP) the option to advance to the Instructor Course within a specified time frame.
- Utilizes both didactic and practical teaching methodologies.
- Ranges from one, 1.5, and two days in length.
- Prepares the physician and advanced practice provider to instruct the Advanced Trauma Life Support® (ATLS®) Course.
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
ATLS Traditional Course:
- Two-day (minimum 16.00 CME, maximum 43.00 CME; 10 Self-Assessment: minimum 16.00, maximum 43.00 Trauma Regulatory Mandates)*
ATLS Refresher Course:
- Half-day (minimum 5.00 CME, maximum 32.00 CME; 10 Self-Assessment; minimum 5.00, maximum 32.00 Trauma Regulatory Mandates)*
ATLS Instructor Course:
- 1.5-day (12.00 CME; 6.00 Self-Assessment)*
*CME will only be granted upon successful completion of the course with a minimum
post-test score of 75%.
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.
- All requests are evaluated case-by-case.
- Please contact the course coordinator at: rscarbrough@health.southalabama.edu.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact Rebecca Scarbrough at rscarbrough@health.southalabama.edu or (251) 471-7971.