Who Can Take the Course

The Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Instructor Essentials Course is an intensive course for instructor candidates who have already successfully completed the PALS Provider Course. The role and scope of practice of healthcare providers can vary greatly, so there are no profession-specific guidelines for becoming an AHA Instructor in a specific discipline. Instructor candidates should exemplify integrity, demonstrate strong ethics, communicate clearly, and model a dedication to quality of training.

The PALS Course uses a variety of teaching methods and adult learning principles in an environment that, in some cases, will mimic (simulate)—or may actually be—a real healthcare setting (eg, back of an ambulance, emergency department bed). From an educational perspective, the closer the simulated emergency is to a real-life case (eg, setting, equipment), the better the transfer of skills. Cognitive, psychomotor, and some affective domains will be accomplished through small-group teaching and case scenario practice on a manikin as a Team Leader and team members (ie, hands-on learning) and the use of large- or small-group short video presentations with instructor-student interaction (ie, engage students in discussion).

ACLS 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

BREMSS TC specific requirements

• The BREMSS TC requires all instructor candidates to provide a letter from your employer or agency training officer or medical director requesting admission to the the AHA PALS Instructor Essentials course. This letter should also verify the candidate meets the required skills proficiency and knowledge as it pertainins to PALS. The instructor candidate may also provide documentation from the AHA lead instructor of the most recent provider course verifying that the candidate has met instructor potential in the requested discipline. 
• Proof of healthcare licensure, i.e. Paramedic Licensure, NREMT Paramedic Certification, Nursing Licensure, etc.

Steps to Become an Instructor

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)

Required Documentation

The following documentation must be uploaded upon course registration:

• Instructor Candidate Application
• Current AHA PALS Provider Certification
• Letter from your employer or agency requesting admission to the AHA PALS Instructor Course and verifying that you meet the prerequisite skills and knowledge pertaining to PALS. 
• Healthcare Certification Documentation