ACLS for Clinicians
In UAE hospitals and clinics, ACLS is the advanced life support card most often asked for by employers of doctors, acute-care nurses and paramedics. Who exactly needs it is set by your facility and, for some licence categories, by the regulator — DOH in Abu Dhabi, DHA in Dubai or MOHAP in the other emirates. This guide sets out the usual pattern and how to plan your certification.
The usual pattern
BLS for every clinical staff member; ACLS for doctors and nurses in emergency, critical care, cardiology, theatres and recovery, for paramedics, and for anyone on a resuscitation team; PALS in addition for anyone who resuscitates children. Always confirm with your facility.
Emergency physicians, anaesthetists, intensivists, cardiologists and internal medicine doctors are routinely expected to hold ACLS, and many facilities ask it of every doctor who covers a cardiac arrest rota. Doctors who also treat children — paediatrics, emergency, family medicine — usually need PALS too.
Nurses in the emergency department, ICU and CCU, cath lab, operating theatres, recovery, dialysis and high-dependency units are the largest group of ACLS candidates we train. Ward nurses more often need BLS; some hospitals extend ACLS to senior ward nurses and rapid response teams. Our BLS for nurses guide covers the baseline.
Clinicians who carry a manual defibrillator and resuscitation drugs need ACLS for the adults they treat, and commonly PALS as well, because the next call may be a child.
Clinics providing sedation or procedures with a resuscitation risk often need at least one ACLS-certified clinician on site, with BLS for the rest of the team. Your licensing requirements decide the detail.
The three health regulators license facilities and professionals across the UAE, and their requirements are the ones that count. They change from time to time and differ by licence category, which is why we always suggest checking the regulator’s current guidance or asking your facility’s licensing officer. The regulators’ websites are listed in the sources below, and our BLS requirement guide covers the life support basics that apply to almost everyone.
For departments, the practical problem is keeping everyone current without pulling half the unit off the floor at once. We run on-site group ACLS and HeartCode skills sessions for hospital teams, and can stagger dates so that cards renew across the year rather than all at once. Contact us for a group plan.
Other life support and first aid courses: BLS Course · PALS Course · First Aid Course · Training calendar
No. BLS is the usual baseline for all clinical staff. ACLS is typically required for nurses in acute areas such as emergency, ICU, CCU and theatres, depending on the facility.
Doctors who resuscitate both adults and children, such as in emergency medicine, often need both. Adult-only specialties usually need ACLS.
AHA ACLS is widely accepted by UAE facilities. For the requirement attached to your specific licence category, check with DHA or your facility.
Yes. We run on-site group ACLS and skills sessions for hospitals and clinics across the UAE.
BLS. ACLS assumes current BLS skills and tests them at the start of the course.
Safety First Medical Services is an American Heart Association training centre on Al Reem Island. HeartCode blended ACLS, classroom ACLS and on-site group sessions for hospitals and clinics, with a two-year AHA ACLS Provider eCard on completion.
See ACLS dates and register Classroom ACLS course Group booking enquiry
What we teach follows the awarding body and the UAE health authorities. For the definitive position on a course or licensing question, these are the places to check.
Last reviewed by the training team at Safety First Medical Services, an American Heart Association training centre at Addax Office Tower, Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi. Call +971 55 761 9841 or email training@safetyfirstmed.ae.