Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Basic Life Support (BLS) is a foundational course designed to teach essential lifesaving skills. The AHA BLS Provider Course is classroom-based and teaches both single-rescuer and team BLS skills for use in both in-facility and prehospital settings. It covers critical skills such as high-quality CPR, recognizing life-threatening emergencies, using an AED, and relieving choking.

Skills learned

• Administering high-quality CPR
• Recognizing several life-threatening emergencies
• Use of an AED
• Relieving choking

Available training

• BLS (CPR) providers initial/update
• HeartCode BLS (hybrid course)
• BLS instructor course

ACLS addresses the knowledge necessary to evaluate and manage an adult victim of a cardiovascular emergency or cardiac arrest. The course reviews and refines patient assessment, airway management, and electrical and drug therapy. ECG interpretation skills are required.

Skills learned

• Recognize and initiate management of peri-arrest situations
• Provide basic life support (BLS) care, including prioritizing CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use
• Recognize and manage respiratory cardiac arrest, including post-cardiac arrest care
• Recognize and initiate management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and stroke
• Effectively communicate as a member or leader of a resuscitation team

Available training

• ACLS instructor course
• ACLS provider for physicians
• ACLS provider or update
• ACLS experienced provider
• HeartCode ACLS (hybrid course)

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) is a classroom, video-based, Instructor-led course. It uses a series of simulated pediatric emergencies to reinforce the important concepts. These include a systematic approach to pediatric assessment, basic life support, PALS treatment algorithms, effective resuscitation, and team dynamics. The goal of the PALS Course is to improve the quality of care provided to seriously ill or injured children, resulting in improved outcomes.

The PALS Course is designed for healthcare providers who respond to emergencies in infants and children. These providers include personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care, and critical care units. They consist of physicians, nurses, paramedics, and others who require a PALS course completion card for their job.

Skills learned

• Be able to identify (on an ECG monitor):
  • Ventricular fibrillation (VF)
  • Ventricular tachycardia (VT)
  • Asystole
  • Bradycardia
  • Tachycardia
  • ST-segment elevation
  • Artifact
• Demonstrate competency in pediatric airway management
• Complete the PALS evaluation with a passing score of 84% or better
• Demonstrate ability to lead a team of healthcare providers and implement PALS algorithms in 2 pediatric scenarios, one cardiac and one respiratory or shock. You will have instruction and practice in mock patient situations prior to testing.

PEARS is for healthcare providers and others who might encounter pediatric emergency situations during their work, including:

• Physicians and nurses not specializing in pediatrics
• Nurse practitioners
• Physician assistants
• EMTs,
• Respiratory therapists
• Prehospital and in-facility healthcare providers (outside of critical-care areas)
• Outpatient clinic staff
• School-based providers
• Any other healthcare provider who infrequently sees critically ill or injured infants and children

The AHA’s PEARS (Pediatric Advanced Emergency Assessment, Recognition, and Stabilization) course has been updated to reflect the latest science in the AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC. In this classroom-based, instructor-led course, students learn how to use a systematic approach to quickly assess, recognize the cause, and stabilize a pediatric patient in an emergency situation.

During PEARS, students interact with real patient cases and realistic simulations. They also use animations to assess and stabilize pediatric patients experiencing respiratory and shock emergencies, as well as cardiopulmonary arrest. PEARS prepares students to provide appropriate lifesaving interventions within the initial minutes of response.

Features

• Improves competency in pediatric basic life support
• Uses realistic, clinical scenarios that encourage active participation – delivered through actual pediatric patient videos and lifelike animations
• Includes AHA’s systematic approach to assess, recognize, and stabilize pediatric patients in emergency situations
• Uses a hands-on class format to reinforce skills proficiency
• Enhances skills in recognizing respiratory emergencies, shock emergencies, and cardiopulmonary arrest
• Co-branded with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

Course content

• Systematic pediatric assessment
• Recognition and stabilization of respiratory emergencies
• Recognition and stabilization of shock emergencies
• Recognition and stabilization of cardiopulmonary arrest
• Resuscitation team concept

For lay rescuers responsible for providing first aid or CPR in the critical first minutes before professional help arrives. Participants will learn CPR for adults, children, and infants, and use of the AED. They will also learn to recognize and respond appropriately to medical, injury, and environmental emergencies.

Meets OSHA requirements.