HeartCode® PALS (Online Student Product For Blended Learning)

This item is the online portion of the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course when taken in a blended-learning format. Once students pass the included exam at the end of the online portion, they participate in a classroom-based training session featuring discussion, skills practice, and testing. Successful completion of both the online and classroom portions, including skills practice and testing with a certified American Heart Association PALS Instructor, qualifies students for a PALS provider course card. The online program includes eSimulations and other interactive activities, plus videos, virtual debriefings, and more. PC and Mac® compatible. Please include an e-mail address when ordering. The access key and instructions on how to log in and register for the course will be e-mailed to you, usually within 1 business day. 

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Course Overview

 

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 uses a series of videos and simulated pediatric emergencies to reinforce the important concepts of a systematic approach to pediatric assessment, basic life support, PALS treatment algorithms, effective resuscitation, and team dynamics.

The PALS course is designed for healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of respiratory and/or cardiovascular emergencies and cardiopulmonary arrest in pediatric patients. This includes personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care, and critical care units -- such as physicians, nurses, and paramedics -- as well as others who need a PALS course completion card for job or other requirements.

Before taking the PALS course, students must pass the online PALS Precourse Self-Assessment with a score of 70% or higher. This test is part of the PALS student Web site (access granted with purchase of the HeartCode PALS access key).

After successfully completing the PALS course, students should be able to:

• perform high-quality child CPR AED and infant CPR per American Heart Association basic life support recommendations

• differentiate between patients who do and patients who do not require immediate intervention

• recognize cardiopulmonary arrest early, and begin CPR within 10 seconds

• apply team dynamics

• differentiate between respiratory distress and respiratory failure, and perform early interventions for both

• differentiate between compensated and decompensated (hypotensive) shock, and 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.

Upon successful completion of the course, including achieving a score of 84% or higher on the course exam, students receive a PALS course completion card that is valid for two years. 

 

Key Features and Benefits

 

HeartCode PALS is the online portion of the PALS course when taken in a blended-learning format. It uses a variety of eLearning assets -- such as dramatizations, eSimulations, animations, self-directed learning, and interactive activities -- to teach students PALS knowledge and skills. To enter the course, students must complete the online PALS Precourse Self-Assessment to evaluate the learner's ability to integrate both rhythm interpretation and use of pharmacologic agents. After completing HeartCode PALS, including passing the online exam with a score of 84% or higher, students attend a structured Instructor-led classroom session that focuses on meaningful skills practice, debriefing, and skills testing. 

Course features and benefits:

• Includes 12 in-hospital patient cases 

• eSimulation cases include:

  • 2 airway obstruction cases

  • 4 shock cases:

    • hypovolemic

    • distributive

    • obstructive

    • cardiogenic disordered control of breathing

  • lung tissue disease 

  • bradycardia 

  • supraventricular tachycardia 

  • PEA/asystole 

  • VF/VT

• Summary of critical concepts provided for each eSimulation case

• Virtual debriefings provided immediately after each eSimulation

• Includes a team dynamics lesson on basic team principles and integrating these principles in a simulated code

• Provides online access to:

  • the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Provider Manual

  • the 2015 Handbook Of Emergency Cardiovascular Care For Healthcare Providers

  • the precourse self-assessment

• Multiple-choice, 50-question exam to test cognitive knowledge

• Certificate of completion that grants access to the classroom portion is available to print after HeartCode PALS modules and simulations, exam, and course evaluation have been completed successfully​

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Includes access to all HeartCode PALS information for 24 months following activation of the course key. 

Please include an e-mail address when ordering. The access key and instructions on how to log in and register for HeartCode PALS will be e-mailed to you, usually within 1 business day. 

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Dimensions and Specifications

PC and Mac® compatible

 

Additional Supplies Needed for Operation

Computer with Internet access

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Minimum computer requirements:

• Connection: Broadband/T1/Cable/DSL/Fiber/etc.

• Operating system: Windows XP or later, or Mac OSX 10.6 or later

• Processor speed: 1+ GHz Pentium or equivalent

• RAM: 1+ GB RAM

• Web browser: Internet Explorer 9 or above, Chrome (recommended), or Firefox

• Speakers/headphones: Recommended

• Soundcard: Recommended

Plug-ins:

• Macromedia Flash (latest version)

• QuickTime Plugin (4.0 or above)

• Adobe Acrobat Reader (latest version)

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• Eligibility for continuing education credit

  • physicians -- American Heart Association designates this enduring material for a maximum of 7.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • physician assistants -- AAPA accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society. Physician assistants may receive a maximum of 7.25 hours of Category I credit for completing this program.

  • nurse practitioners -- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME (must be claimed within 6 months of participation).

  • nurses -- The maximum number of hours awarded for this CE activity is 6.50 contact hours (must be claimed within 6 months of participation).

  • pharmacists -- ACPE Credit: 8.00 Contact Hours. Universal Program Number: 0256-0000-17-914-H01-P (must be claimed within 30 days of participation).

  • emergency medical services -- This continuing education activity is approved by American Heart Association, an organization accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE), for 5.75 Advanced CEHs, activity number 17-AMHA-F3-0346 (must be claimed within 6 months of participation).

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