Yenta -“we did not receive books/dvd’s before hand;”
I wouldn’t worry that much. Most of them are jokes. Take ACLS for example, it’s usually a two-day course. The first day is lecture -the second is testing. If you end up in a Real course, you can tell by the attitude of the instructors, you will have to cram the night after the lectures/the nite before the exams, reading and memorizing everything, in order to pass. It’s easy to find out if it’s a real course by asking those who have taken it, where you are taking it, in the past. If you find out that your course is an exception and you’re going to be grilled, get ahold of the materials beforehand and start studying. You can buy ACLS review books in the bookstore or you can search for it online.
When the AHA first comes out with their revisions, before they make it into a book, they write it in Currents. I think for a short period of time, they allow you to download it. I downloaded it at the time, but by now they don’t allow it anymore, I think. But you can try to get it anyway by searching their site, perhaps there is a way. Also, for the course, they used to give you the whole book included in the course price. Nowadays, they give you a tiny pamphlet book with a DVD.
If you get a Real Course that tests real hard, the materials you get won’t be enough to pass. You’ll need the whole AHA book or a good review book.
The best thing is to find out beforehand by asking those that took it it your place already. If for some reason it’s a tough course (Not likely), get ahold of the materials ASAP.