Online Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Certification
The Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course is designed for healthcare professionals caring for pediatric patients in emergent situations. A large part of PALS certification is dedicated to recognizing and treating respiratory distress and respiratory failure, which are the most common acutely life-threatening conditions in infants and young children. However, PALS training is comprehensive with coverage of cardiovascular emergencies such as pediatric shock, cardiac arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest.
PALS is not simply ACLS for kids. It is a completely distinct resuscitation approach. Infants and children experience different types of life-threatening experiences than adults. Pediatric patients often experience respiratory distress and shock before they enter cardiac arrest. PALS teaches providers to perform rapid, accurate assessments and timely interventions in pediatric patients.
Who should take this course?
Most hospitals, medical centers, and group practices require all staff to have Basic Life Support (BLS) certification at a minimum, while staff members caring for infants and children are often required to maintain PALS certification. PALS is especially important for those who work in the NICU, PICU, Labor and Delivery, Pediatrics, Trauma, and Emergency Medicine.
That said, this online PALS certification course is beneficial for any healthcare professionals who may encounter emergent pediatric patients. That includes physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, EMTs, paramedics, medical students, and other healthcare professionals and students.
In order to stay current with advances in pediatric resuscitation science, training is required every two years.
What does this course teach?
- High-quality child CPR, infant CPR, and pediatric AED use
- Recognition of respiratory distress and failure
- Management of respiratory emergencies
- Rhythm disturbances and electrical therapies
- Vascular access approaches for infants and young children
- Pediatric post-resuscitation support
- Medications used in PALS
- Teamwork and effective communication in PALS
