PALS Requirements
There is no entry exam for a PALS course, but the AHA expects you to arrive able to do infant and child CPR well, and with some grounding in paediatric normal values and basic rhythms.
The prerequisites
Current BLS skills, including infant and child CPR; the PALS Precourse Self-Assessment; basic rhythm recognition; and familiarity with paediatric normal values. The course is for healthcare professionals.
PALS tests infant and child CPR near the start. The two-thumb encircling technique, the 15:2 two-rescuer ratio and the right compression depth for each age need to be automatic. If you mostly treat adults, refresh with infant and child BLS or renew your BLS first.
Classroom students complete the AHA PALS Precourse Self-Assessment and bring proof; HeartCode students do the equivalent online. It covers rhythm recognition, pharmacology and practical application — see the PALS pretest and exam.
You cannot recognise an abnormal heart rate or low blood pressure in a two-year-old without knowing the normal range. See vital signs by age.
Healthcare professionals who respond to emergencies in infants and children: NICU and PICU teams, emergency departments, paramedics, anaesthesia and sedation teams, family and urgent-care doctors and paediatric nurses and doctors.
Parents, teachers and nursery staff need a paediatric first aid course, not PALS — see PALS vs paediatric first aid.
Nurses and doctors moving into paediatrics from adult practice should allow extra preparation time: the normal values, equipment sizes and dose calculations are what feel unfamiliar, not the team skills.
Other life support and first aid courses: BLS Course · ACLS Course · First Aid Course · Training calendar
Yes, current BLS skills including infant and child CPR.
No, PALS requires BLS, not ACLS.
PALS is designed for healthcare professionals; parents should take a paediatric first aid course.
Yes for classroom students; HeartCode students complete the equivalent online.
Not formally, but clinicians who rarely treat children should allow extra preparation.
Yes.
Safety First Medical Services is an American Heart Association training centre on Al Reem Island. HeartCode blended PALS, classroom PALS and on-site PALS for paediatric, neonatal and emergency teams, with a two-year AHA PALS Provider eCard.
See PALS dates and register PALS course overview 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.