Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Hybrid Course
Course Overview
Step into the fast-paced world of trauma care with the Advanced Trauma Life Support® course. Build confidence, sharpen team communication, and learn the common language of trauma care that supports better outcomes in critical, high-pressure situations.
Hybrid and Refresher Description:
The Advanced Trauma Life Support® (ATLS®) course establishes an organized and systematic approach for evaluation and treatment of patients, promotes standards of care, and recognizes injury as a global healthcare challenge. The approach is easily remembered by any clinician, irrespective of practice specialty and experience, and can be rapidly recalled under the stress, anxiety, and intensity of the trauma resuscitation process. ATLS provides a common language for all clinicians that facilitates team and transfer communication.
The ATLS course emphasizes the application of new knowledge and skills. Instruction occurs in a variety of venues: self-study, small groups, and larger groups.Application of didactic knowledge occurs through interactive discussions and online modules. Cognitive and psychomotor skills are introduced and practiced in the skills stations. Initial patient assessment stations provide opportunities to practice primary and
secondary survey procedures.
Instructor Course Description:
The ATLS® Instructor Course is one of the key contributors to the quality and outcomes of ATLS Courses for clinicians. The knowledge and skills acquired in the ATLS Instructor Course will not only enable you to effectively facilitate ATLS Courses but will also enhance your ability to undertake clinical teaching in the future. The principles of the ATLS Instructor Course are grounded in the best medical education evidence and are applicable across various educational settings.
Target Audience:
Emergency physicians, trauma and general surgeons, fellows, residents, APRNs, PAs who work in an emergent role, Anesthesiologists and CRNAs.
Date
April 25, 2026
Location
Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS)
124 S. Franklin St., Tampa, FL 33602
Learning Objectives:
Upon completing the ATLS® course, the participants will be able to:
- Practice the concepts and principles of initial assessment through the primary and secondary patient surveys.
- Establish management priorities in a simulated trauma situation.
- Initiate primary and secondary management necessary for the emergency management of acute life-threatening conditions in a simulated patient.
- Apply the key principles of effective team function and communication in a simulated trauma scenario.
- Practice primary and secondary initial assessment surveys of a patient with simulated injuries.
- Perform control of simulated life-threatening external hemorrhage.
- Evaluate and manage airway patency and initiate assisted ventilation in a simulated trauma patient.
- Demonstrate the procedure of surgical/incisional airway.
- Identify clinical and radiographic signs of thoracic injuries.
- Describe the steps for a needle or finger thoracostomy and chest tube insertion for pleural decompression in a simulated scenario.
- Assess and treat a simulated patient in shock with recognition of life-threatening hemorrhage.
- Perform intraosseous access in a simulated patient.
- Apply an external pelvic compression device for hemorrhage due to pelvic fracture in a simulated trauma patient.
- Evaluate the abdomen for hemorrhage with either peritoneal lavage or ultrasound (FAST).
- Evaluate and treat a simulated patient with brain injury, including use of the Glasgow Coma Scale score.• Demonstrate protection of the spinal cord and radiographic and clinical evaluation of spine injuries in a simulated trauma scenario.
- Perform musculoskeletal trauma assessment and management in a simulated scenario.
- Apply the principles of trauma assessment of simulated older adults, pediatric patients, and pregnant patients.
Credit Information:
Credit Claimed through the American College of Surgeons
Refresher Course – 14 ACCME Credits
Hybrid Course – 29 ACCME Credits
Saturday • April 25, 2026
Participant Registration
Module Review Q & A
Move to Skill Stations
Airway and Breathing Skill Stations
Lunch/Triage Scenarios
Circulation 1 and 2 stations
Simulation team converts skill stations
Disability Skill Stations
Simulation team converts skill stations – Pretest in FLEX – Luis Llerena
Team initial Assessment station
Course Conclusion
Sunday • August 17, 2025
Breakfast and registration
Q & A and Initial Assessment
Move to Written/Skills testing
Written /Skills testing
Written /Skills testing
Course Conclusion
Luis E. Llerena, MD, is the Medical Director of USF Health CAMLS and Professor, Department of Surgery at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.
He holds both national and state leadership positions: Surgical Director of the American College of Surgeons Accredited Educational Institute (ACS AEI) at USF CAMLS, ACS AEI Committees (Accreditation Review and Curriculum), Florida Committee of Trauma (FCOT) Vice Chair, and Florida Trauma State Faculty. He is a course director for key surgical and critical care curriculum, including Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS®), Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM®), and Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET®), Stop the Bleed®, and the Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) program. He is an FCCS consultant. Additionally, Dr Llerena is a trauma site surveyor for the Pennsylvania Trauma System Foundation.
Dr. Llerena received both his undergraduate and his medical degrees from the University of Maryland. He completed his surgical residency at the Medical College of Pennsylvania/Hahnemann University in Philadelphia and UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Camden, New Jersey. He received his trauma/surgical critical care fellowship training at Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Florida. He is board certified in Surgery and Surgical Critical Care.
Dr. Llerena is a member of the American College of Surgeons’ Academy of Master Surgical Educators, master trainer for TeamSTEPPS® and the Patient Safety Education Program (PSEP), and Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator – Advanced (CHSE-A) by the Society for Simulation Healthcare (SSH). His main research interests include military medicine, simulation-based education, patient safety, and trauma education.
Additional Information
If you would like to receive updates about ATLS at CAMLS, click here to complete the form.
Registration and Fees:
If interested in a refresher course, please email Frank Whitaker at fwhitaker@usf.edu in order to confirm eligibility. Fee per participant is $1,200
Renewals
Important Information Regarding Your ATLS® Provider Status: Provider status is valid for 4 years from the course date. To maintain a current status in the ACS ATLS® Program, providers are encouraged to reverify their status every 4 years ATLS Student Course.
Questions
For questions about course content, please contact camlsoperations@usf.edu.
Cancellation Policy
Due to instructors, tissue and resources being procured based on course attendance, USF Health Professions Conferencing Corporation must adhere to the following cancellation policy.
- All requests for cancellation, transfer or refunds much be received in writing to
camlsoperations@usf.edu. - Cancellations received at least 31 calendar days prior to the start of the activity, a refund will be provided minus a $75 administrative fee and the cost of the book and shipping (up to $250.00).
- Requests for a transfer to another course date at least 31 calendar days prior to the start
of the activity will be honored with no additional fees. The new course date must be within 6 months of the original course date. - No refunds or requests for transfer will be provided if cancellation is received within (and including) 30 calendar days of the start date of the activity
- No-shows are not eligible for a refund or transfer.
- For internal USF participants or organizations wishing to be invoiced for registrations, your department or organization will be invoiced according to the above guidelines.
USF Health Professions Conferencing Corporation reserves the right to cancel this activity due to unforeseen circumstances, in which you will be contacted via phone and/or email to reschedule or issue a refund. USF Health Professions Conferencing Corporation is not responsible for travel expenses incurred by the participants in the rare event that this activity is canceled or postponed.