PALS Study Guide
Preparing for a PALS course is mostly about learning to think in categories: what type of problem is this, how severe, and what does this age and weight change? This one-week plan links to our guide for each topic.
The plan
Day 1: self-assessment and normal values. Day 2: systematic approach. Day 3: respiratory types. Day 4: shock types and fluids. Day 5: brady, tachy and arrest. Day 6: doses by weight and IO. Day 7: talk through a case and rest.
Complete the precourse self-assessment. Then learn the normal ranges by age and the hypotension thresholds.
Practise the evaluate-identify-intervene sequence out loud on imaginary patients.
Distress vs failure, then the four types: upper, lower, and lung tissue and control of breathing.
The four shock types, septic shock and fluid resuscitation.
Bradycardia, tachycardia (sinus tachycardia vs SVT), cardiac arrest and post-arrest care.
Weight-based dosing, PALS drugs, energies per kilogram and intraosseous access.
Talk through a respiratory case and a shock case as team leader, then try PALS practice questions.
Other life support and first aid courses: BLS Course · ACLS Course · First Aid Course · Training calendar
About a week of focused revision suits most people.
Recognising and categorising respiratory problems and shock.
Learn them per kilogram within each algorithm, then practise calculating for different weights.
Our PALS practice questions page has original questions with answers.
Yes, recognition depends on knowing what is normal for each age.
No, newborn resuscitation at delivery is covered by NRP.
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.