First-Time PALS
Many clinicians find their first PALS course more unsettling than ACLS, even if they have done ACLS already. Children are unfamiliar to many adult-trained staff, the doses change with every patient, and the emphasis is on spotting deterioration rather than following one arrest algorithm.
For first-timers
Choose classroom PALS, learn paediatric normal values and the systematic approach before you come, practise weight-based calculations, and expect most scenarios to be about breathing and shock rather than arrest.
Classroom PALS gives first-timers more time with infant and child manikins and more coached scenarios.
A typical case starts with a child who is breathing fast or looks pale and floppy. You assess out loud, categorise the problem by type and severity, start treatment and reassess. Only some cases progress to arrest. Leading one is covered in the pretest and exam guide.
Paediatric scenarios can be emotionally harder than adult ones, even in simulation. Instructors know this, debrief every case, and are there to help you pass.
Other life support and first aid courses: BLS Course · ACLS Course · First Aid Course · Training calendar
Many find it harder at first because paediatric normal values and weight-based doses are unfamiliar.
Classroom PALS.
No, most focus on respiratory problems and shock.
Infant CPR, normal values by age, and dose calculations by weight.
The instructor debriefs it, you practise and you are retested.
No, only BLS.
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.
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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.