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Pediatric Training for Healthcare Providers
The American Heart Association offers three separate courses for healthcare professionals who require training in pediatric care. These courses are appropriate for a variety of audiences, ranging from providers who are responsible for the recognition of emergencies and assessment of pediatric patients, to providers managing pediatric patients on a regular basis.
Which course is right for me?
PALS, PALS Plus® or PEARS?
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS):
Now updated to reflect the most current science from the 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC, the PALS course is intended for healthcare providers who respond to emergencies in infants and children and for personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care and critical care units.
What does this course teach?
The PALS Provider Course aims to improve outcomes for pediatric patients by preparing healthcare providers to effectively recognize and intervene in patients with respiratory emergencies, shock, and cardiopulmonary arrest by using high‐performance team dynamics and high‐quality individual skills. The course includes a series of case scenario practices with simulations that reinforce important concepts. Upon successful completion of all the patient cases, students must pass the multiple-choice exam with a minimum score of 84%. Topics include:
After successfully completing this course, students will be able to
- Perform high‐quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) per American Heart Association (AHA) basic life support (BLS) recommendations
- Differentiate between patients who do and do not require immediate intervention
- Recognize cardiopulmonary arrest early and begin CPR within 10 seconds
- Apply team dynamics
- Differentiate between respiratory distress and failure
- Perform early interventions for respiratory distress and failure
- Differentiate between compensated and decompensated (hypotensive) shock
- Perform early interventions for the treatment of shock
- Differentiate between unstable and stable patients with arrhythmias
- Describe clinical characteristics of instability in patients with arrhythmias
- Implement post–cardiac arrest management
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Course Options
PALS Plus®:
The American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have collaborated to develop a new program called PALS Plus®. The PALS Plus Course is a pediatric advanced life support (PALS) course for more experienced pediatric healthcare professionals seeking advanced educational content.
NOTE: The PALS Plus course modules will be updated to reflect the most current science from the 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC soon.
PALS Plus is a new advanced course offering for healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of respiratory and/or cardiovascular emergencies, cardiopulmonary arrest, and other emergent and critical conditions in pediatric patients. This includes personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care, and critical care units such as physicians, physician assistants, hospitalists, advanced practice/registered nurses, advanced level prehospital providers, and others who desire additional advanced educational content beyond the traditional PALS course.
What does this course teach?
The course teaches more than the standard PALS curriculum and includes 9 additional modules related to pediatric emergencies.
To successfully pass the PALS Plus course and receive a PALS Plus course completion eCard, students must complete the required online components, followed by an Instructor-led, hands-on skills session. The online portion consists of HeartCode® PALS Online and at least 6 of the 9 PALS Plus Advanced Modules.
Learn more about the PALS Plus course
PEARS® (Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization):
- The PEARS Provider Course is intended for healthcare professionals who might encounter pediatric emergency situations during their work, including: Nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Emergency medical technicians, Respiratory therapists, etc.
- NOTE: The PEARS course will be updated to reflect the most current science from the 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC soon.
What does this course teach?
Improve outcomes for pediatric patients by preparing healthcare providers in assessment, early recognition, prompt communication, and initial intervention in patients with respiratory emergencies, shock, and cardiopulmonary arrest.
Topics include:
- Performing BLS consistent with the 2015 AHA Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC)
- Evaluating a seriously ill or injured child by using the pediatric systematic approach
- Applying effective team dynamics
- Demonstrating initial stabilization of a seriously ill or injured child, including a child with cardiac arrest, respiratory distress, or shock