Why this guide
- Built from the ACS ATLS 11th Edition Provider Course syllabus — the current written exam content as of 2024–2025
- ABCDE-first layout — every section follows the actual ATLS primary/secondary survey sequence, so exam logic matches bedside logic
- Surgical decision triggers highlighted — when FAST-positive shock goes straight to laparotomy, when chest injury needs immediate tube thoracostomy
- Print-friendly rapid reference — full guide plus a one-page cheat sheet for the pre-exam review and a pocket card for clinical shifts
Who this is for
- Surgical residents and medical students rotating through trauma surgery and preparing for the ATLS provider course exam
- EM physicians and moonlighters who need ATLS certification for credentialing or trauma center requirements
- Trauma nurses, PAs, and NPs taking the ATLS course as part of a trauma team qualification path
- Paramedics and flight medics bridging into critical-care or tactical roles where ATLS trauma logic is expected
- Clinicians retaking the ATLS written exam after a course completion lapse
What you'll learn
- Initial Assessment and Resuscitation: Primary survey (ABCDE), adjuncts (X-ray, FAST, DPL), hemodynamic instability, massive transfusion
- Airway and Ventilatory Management: OPA/NPA, ETT, surgical airway (cricothyroidotomy), chest tube, ventilator settings, oxygenation targets
- Shock: Hemorrhagic, neurogenic, cardiogenic, septic; Classes I–IV, lactate/base deficit, permissive hypotension
- Thoracic Trauma: Tension pneumothorax, hemothorax, flail chest, pulmonary contusion, traumatic aortic injury, cardiac tamponade
- Abdominal and Pelvic Trauma: FAST interpretation, DPL indications, solid-organ vs hollow-organ injury, pelvic binder, retroperitoneal hemorrhage
- Head, Spine, and Musculoskeletal Trauma: GCS, epidural/subdural/SAH, spinal clearance, compartment syndrome, amputation, splinting
- Thermal, Pediatric, and Geriatric Trauma: Burn depth/Rule of Nines/Parkland, pediatric airway anatomy, pregnancy trauma, elderly physiology
- ATLS 11 updates: Team-based resuscitation, Stop the Bleed integration, expanded airway and geriatric content
What you're getting
- 6 printable PDFs: cover, course notice, full study guide, two condensed cheat sheets, and an exam-day pocket card.
- Content built from the public syllabus and real test-taker accounts.
- No fake "actual exam" content — honest, source-cited study aids.
"The ATLS written is not hard if you know the primary/secondary survey cold — but the scenarios will trick you if you skip steps."
— paraphrased from public test-taker accounts