PALS — Pediatric Advanced Life Support — is the American Heart Association course for healthcare professionals who respond to emergencies in infants and children. Children rarely arrest from a primary heart problem; they deteriorate from breathing difficulty or shock first, so PALS teaches you to recognise that deterioration early and stop it before the heart stops. Safety First Medical Services is an AHA training centre on Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi, running PALS as HeartCode blended learning, as a classroom course, and on site for hospital teams across the UAE. Live dates are below.
In short
A PALS course certifies you to assess and treat seriously ill or injured children and infants: respiratory distress and failure, shock, rhythm disturbances, cardiac arrest and post-arrest care, as a team member or leader. You need current BLS skills first, you pass skills tests and a written test, and the AHA PALS Provider eCard is valid for two years.
Why paediatric resuscitation is different
In adults, sudden cardiac arrest is often the first event. In children it is usually the last: a respiratory problem or shock progresses, the body compensates for a while, and then decompensates. That is why PALS spends so much of its time on recognition — spotting the child who is compensating now and will not be in an hour — and why its outcomes depend so much on what the team does before an arrest. It is also why drug doses and defibrillation energy are calculated by weight, and why equipment comes in a dozen sizes.
If you already hold ACLS, our guide to PALS vs ACLS explains exactly what is different.
What a PALS course covers
The PALS systematic approach — an initial impression of appearance, breathing and colour, then a primary assessment (airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure), a secondary assessment and diagnostic tests, cycling through evaluate, identify, intervene. Our guide to the PALS systematic approach walks through it.
Respiratory emergencies — telling respiratory distress from respiratory failure, and the four types: upper airway obstruction, lower airway obstruction, lung tissue disease and disordered control of breathing.
Shock — hypovolaemic, distributive (including septic), cardiogenic and obstructive, compensated or hypotensive, and the fluid and drug decisions that follow.
Rhythm disturbances — bradycardia with poor perfusion, and tachycardias including supraventricular tachycardia, with the electrical therapy each may need.
Cardiac arrest and post-cardiac arrest care in infants and children.
Child and infant BLS, bag-mask ventilation and vascular access skills, including intraosseous access.
Team dynamics — the same high-performance team roles and communication used in ACLS.
Who needs PALS
PALS is for professionals who respond to emergencies in infants and children: paediatricians and paediatric nurses, emergency department doctors and nurses, neonatal and paediatric intensive care teams, anaesthetists, paramedics, and family and urgent-care doctors who see children. See PALS for nurses and doctors in the UAE for the usual requirements by role. Parents, teachers and childcare staff do not need PALS — the pediatric first aid course is designed for them.
Ways to take PALS with us
Format
How it works
Best for
HeartCode PALS (blended)
Cognitive part online at your own pace, then a hands-on skills practice and testing session with an AHA instructor.
Complete the AHA PALS Precourse Self-Assessment before you come; it covers rhythm recognition, pharmacology and practical application, and it shows you what to revise. Refresh infant and child CPR — the course tests it — and learn the systematic approach until you can say it aloud. The PALS pretest and exam guide sets out every assessment, and our blog post on what to expect on a PALS course describes the day from a student’s point of view.
How you are assessed
To receive the PALS Provider card you pass skills tests in child and infant high-quality BLS, and case-based testing scenarios — typically one respiratory and one shock case, or similar — in which you lead the team. There is also a written test on the course content. Remediation is available if a part is not passed first time; your instructor explains how each part is run on the day.
What the day looks like
PALS is taught around infant and child manikins with a rhythm simulator. Teams rotate through roles — airway, compressions, vascular access and medications, monitor and defibrillator, recorder and leader — and each scenario ends with a debrief. Expect to calculate doses and energies by weight out loud, to use length-based tape and weight estimates, and to practise the hand-offs that go wrong most often in real paediatric emergencies.
Renewal
The PALS Provider card is valid for two years. The PALS renewal guide explains how to renew efficiently and what to do if your card has lapsed.
Four mistakes we see every month
Treating PALS as ACLS with smaller doses. The emphasis is on recognising respiratory failure and shock before arrest.
Rusty infant CPR. Two-thumb encircling-hands technique and the 15:2 two-rescuer ratio are tested. Refresh your BLS first.
Not saying the systematic approach aloud. In the testing scenarios, the instructor needs to hear your assessment and categorisation.
Booking too late. Paediatric units often need everyone current at the same time. Book a month before expiry.
PALS guide directory
47 guides answering the questions people ask about a PALS course, grouped by topic. The same list is on the PALS guides directory page.
How Long Is a PALS Course? PALS Duration Explained — How long PALS takes in Abu Dhabi: the HeartCode PALS online part and skills session, classroom PALS, renewals, and fitting it round paediatric rotas.
PALS Practice Questions With Answers — Free PALS practice questions with answers: respiratory types, shock, hypotension by age, fluid boluses, bradycardia, SVT, shocks per kg and IO access.
PALS for DOH, DHA and MOH Licensing in the UAE — How PALS fits UAE licensing and credentialling: which paediatric, neonatal and emergency roles usually need it, and what facilities check.
PALS by profession (6)
PALS for Nurses, Doctors and Paramedics in the UAE — Who needs PALS in UAE hospitals and clinics: paediatric, emergency, NICU and PICU teams, anaesthetists and paramedics, and what employers usually ask for.
PALS for NICU and PICU Nurses and Doctors — PALS for neonatal and paediatric intensive care teams: why NICU and PICU staff need it, how it fits with NRP, and the skills that matter most.
PALS for Emergency Department Doctors and Nurses — Why emergency department staff need PALS alongside ACLS: the children EDs actually see, the skills that matter in a mixed department, and planning both cards.
PALS for Family Physicians and Urgent-Care Doctors — PALS for family physicians, urgent-care and polyclinic doctors: recognising the seriously ill child early, stabilising before transfer and clinic readiness.
Shock in Children: The Four Types Taught in PALS — Paediatric shock in PALS: compensated vs hypotensive shock, and hypovolaemic, distributive, cardiogenic and obstructive shock with their key signs.
PALS vs NRP: Paediatric vs Neonatal Resuscitation — PALS vs NRP compared: resuscitation of the newly born at delivery versus infants and children, who runs each course, and which NICU and delivery staff need.
PALS stands for Pediatric Advanced Life Support, the American Heart Association course in the recognition and treatment of seriously ill or injured infants and children.
Do I need BLS before PALS?
Yes. PALS assumes current BLS skills and tests child and infant high-quality CPR during the course.
How long is PALS certification valid?
The AHA PALS Provider eCard is valid for two years and expires at the end of the month of issue.
Who should take PALS?
Healthcare professionals who respond to emergencies in infants and children, such as paediatric and emergency doctors and nurses, NICU and PICU teams, anaesthetists and paramedics.
Is PALS harder than ACLS?
It is different rather than harder. PALS focuses more on assessment and on preventing arrest, and all doses are weight-based.
Can I do PALS online?
The cognitive part can be completed online through HeartCode PALS, but a hands-on skills session with an AHA instructor is required before the card is issued.
Is PALS the same as NRP?
No. NRP, the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, covers resuscitation of newborns at delivery. PALS covers infants and children beyond the newborn period. Some neonatal staff need both.
Is PALS accepted in the UAE?
AHA PALS is widely requested by UAE hospitals and clinics licensed by DOH, DHA and MOHAP. Check the requirement for your own role with your facility.
What is on the PALS written test?
Questions follow the course cases: assessment, respiratory and shock management, rhythms, arrest and post-arrest care, and team dynamics.
Can you run PALS for our unit on site?
Yes. We run on-site group PALS for paediatric, neonatal and emergency teams across the UAE. Contact us for a quote.
Book an AHA PALS course in Abu Dhabi
Safety First Medical Services is an American Heart Association training centre on Al Reem Island. HeartCode blended PALS, classroom PALS and on-site group sessions for paediatric, emergency and neonatal teams, with a two-year AHA PALS Provider eCard on completion.
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.
