PALS, PEARS, and NRP done online

chare · Aug 17, 2010

pals and nrp are both offered in either the traditional or blended format. currently pears is only offered in the traditional format. however if you have your pals certification, this includes all of the material that is covered in pears and more.

using the traditional format, you go to a training center and spend time watching videos, doing skills review and evaluation, and complete the written test. at the end of the program you receive a course completion/certification card. this is probably what most people are familiar with.

the blended format is exactly that, it is a combination of both online and classroom training. in a blended program you will complete the cognitive/didactic portion on line, as well as complete the written test on line. upon completion of the test you print out your course completion form to take to an instructor where you then complete the skills review and testing portion. upon completion of the skills review/testing you are issued your course completion/certification card. there is generally no distinction between completion of either a traditional or blended course.

online courses, as the name implies, are offered totally online. these programs consist only of the cognitive/didactic portion, without skills review/testing. personally, i would not take an online course without skills review/testing as some facilities might not consider this to satisfy j[color=#333333]c standard pc.02.01.11.

the neonatal resuscitation program (nrp) is offered in either the traditional or blended format and advanced cardiac life support (acls) programs are offered in either the traditional, blended, or online format.

if you are interested in attending a traditional nrp course, you can use the aap - nrp to locate an upcoming course.

information on the blended program option is available at the following site: nrp online evaluation overview. if you opt to take the blended course, the cost of the online portion is $29.00, and you have 14 days to complete the entire online program. after completion of the online portion you have 30 days to locate an instructor and complete your skills evaluation. you can also use the aap - nrp website to locate an instructor to complete this checkoff. there might be an additional charge for the skills evaluation. i would also suggest contacting an instructor prior to ensure availability of a skills evaluation prior to enrolling in the course.

the 5th edition of the textbook of neonatal resuscitation is available on line from the aap bookstore or world point for $49.95 or from amazon.com.

information on the aha blended program option is available at the following site: heartcode™ pals part 1. if you opt to take the blended course, the cost of the online portion is $105.00 and the heart code pals part 1 cd can be purchased from either channing bete or worldpoint. laerdal is also an authorized source of aha material, but i was unable to locate any information regarding the cd on their website. i could not readily locate on the site, but i believe that you have 14 days to complete the entire online portion. after completion of the online portion you can locate an instructor to complete your skills evaluation using the aha ecc course connector website. there might be an additional charge for the skills evaluation. i would also suggest contacting an instructor prior to ensure availability of a skills evaluation prior to enrolling in the course.

the current edition of the pals provider manual is available from channing bete, world point, or laerdal for $35.00. it is also available from amazon.

there are several pals preparatory books available on the market. i am unaware of any such books for nrp although the might be available as well. personally, i don't think that any of these books are either necessary as all of the material necessary to pass either course is in the provider manual and will be reviewed during the course. however, i do strongly suggest that you read and study the material prior to attending the course.

i would recommend that you purchase a copy of the handbook of emergency cardiovascular care for healthcare providers 2008. this is an extremely useful reference and includes information on acls, bls, pals, and nrp. it is available from channing bete for $15.95 or amazon.com for 17.95.

lastly, of you are interested in reading more regarding the science and rationale behind what is included in the provider manual, the 2005 american heart association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care are all available online.

in addition to the aha, there are at least two other organizations that have developed pals training programs, the american safety and health institute (ashi) and american medical resource institute. these courses are offered in a variety of formats: traditional, blended, and online. either of these programs might be accepted by the facility in question. i would recommend contacting someone in their nursing education to determine if either of these programs is acceptable.

i hope this information is helpful.