American Heart Association · Pediatric Advanced Life Support
AHA PALS Provider (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)
Pediatric arrests rarely start as arrests. PALS is built around catching the child who is compensating — before the compensation runs out.
- Course Length
- Initial course runs a full day; renewal is shorter
- Credential
- AHA PALS Provider eCard, valid two years from the month of issue.
- Format
- In person, hands-on. On-site available.
- Issuing Body
- American Heart Association
Who this course is for
- Pediatric, PICU, and NICU nurses
- Emergency department clinicians who see children
- Paramedics and pediatric transport teams
- Physicians, PAs, and NPs in pediatric or emergency practice
- Respiratory therapists working pediatric cases
What you will learn
- Pediatric assessment: evaluate, identify, intervene
- Recognizing respiratory distress before it becomes respiratory failure
- Compensated versus decompensated shock
- Pediatric cardiac arrest, bradycardia, and tachycardia algorithms
- Weight-based pharmacology and dosing
- Vascular access, including intraosseous
- Resuscitation team dynamics in pediatric codes
Prerequisites
A current BLS Provider card, plus pediatric ECG rhythm familiarity. Complete the AHA precourse self-assessment.
Need this for your whole team?
On-site training is our primary service. We bring instructors, manikins, AED trainers, and all course materials to your facility anywhere in Lee, Collier, or Charlotte County — and we can contract a recurring schedule so nobody's card ever lapses.
Request On-Site TrainingQuestions people actually ask
Do I need PALS if I already have ACLS?
They are separate cards and separate algorithms. If your role includes infants and children — pediatrics, ED, EMS, urgent care, school health — most employers require PALS specifically. ACLS does not substitute for it.
What is HeartCode PALS?
HeartCode PALS is the blended option: online cognitive work and simulations, followed by an in-person skills session. Care Chain CPR runs PALS HeartCode skills checks.
Why Care Chain CPR
Care Chain CPR is an American Heart Association Authorized Training Site and an American Red Cross Authorized Provider. Classes are taught by active firefighter-paramedics and credentialed healthcare providers — people who do this work on shift, not classroom-only educators. We serve Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Lehigh Acres, Port Charlotte, and Punta Gorda.