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2020 Guidelines AHA Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Instructor Course

PALS Instructor Course:

The Instructor Essentials Course is taught in a blended-learning format. To become an AHA Instructor, candidates must complete the online portion, followed by the hands-on session, which is classroom based. The online portion of the course contains both core content and discipline-specific modules to prepare the instructor candidates for the hands-on session. In the classroom, faculty will continue preparing instructor candidates to become AHA Instructors by focusing on in-depth material about the disciplines that candidates will be teaching. The hands-on session includes instruction, practice, and an exam, allowing instructor candidates to successfully use their instructor materials and skills.  

There are 4 steps to become an AHA Instructor. For successful completion, instructor candidates must:
  1. Be accepted by an AHA Training Center (TC) before enrolling in an Instructor Essentials Course and have a completed Instructor Candidate Application on file with that TC 
  2. Have current AHA Provider status in the discipline for that Instructor Essentials Course and be proficient in all the skills of that discipline 
  3. Successfully complete the Instructor Essentials Course, including both the online and hands-on session 
  4. Successfully be monitored teaching within 6 months after completing the hands-on session of the Instructor Essentials Course (Training Center Coordinators [TCCs] may require additional monitoring, if needed) 

Requirements to Become an Instructor Candidate:

PALS instructor candidates must meet certain requirements before taking the Instructor Essentials Course. Before attending the hands-on session (facilitated by faculty), all instructor candidates must:
  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Be aligned with an AHA TC − Instructor candidates must have a TC that has agreed to accept them as an instructor once they have completed Instructor Essentials and their monitoring is completed.
  • Have a current AHA PALS Provider course completion card
  • Be proficient in the skills of PALS − To measure the proficiency of the skills of PALS, be sure to observe instructor candidates during the course. If you feel that instructor candidates need to be retested in their skills of PALS, you can include this as part of the Instructor Essentials Course.
  • Complete an Instructor Candidate Application
  • Successfully complete the online portion of Instructor Essentials