Paediatric Immediate Life Support (PILS)

Paediatric Immediate Life Support was developed by Resuscitation Council UK for healthcare professionals who may have to manage and treat paediatric patients in an emergency.

PILS provides a variety of skills, from managing a deteriorating patient, identifying causes of deterioration and treating cardiac arrest in children, to developing team leadership abilities and finding out what it takes to be an effective team member in a cardiac arrest emergency.

A PILS qualification is recognised across the UK and Europe, allowing healthcare professionals to save young lives in many parts of the world.

PILS was launched in 2007. Around 17,000 professionals are trained in PILS every year. It is the ideal course for healthcare staff who need to develop their skills further than Basic Life Support, but do not need to train in Paediatric Advanced Life Support.

The PILS course teaches the knowledge and skills to:

• understand the structured ABCDE approach that facilitates rapid recognition of seriously ill children;
• provide appropriate initial treatment interventions to prevent cardiorespiratory arrest;
• treat children in respiratory or cardiorespiratory arrest until the arrival of a resuscitation team or more experienced assistance;
• become an effective team member who can respond appropriately in an emergency.

Who is the course for?

The PILS Course is appropriate for a range of Candidates including doctors, nurses, paramedics, ODPs, health visitors, school nurses, midwives, cardiac technicians, resuscitation officers, physiotherapists, dentistry professionals, ambulance technicians and medical and nursing students.

Course Structure:

This is a one-day course and will take place at our centre or at your place. 

Our courses are delivered by members of our dedicated and highly skilled Instructor base. This guarantees that our courses are uniform, and the content remains the same across all our Course Centres.

Pre-course preparation:

Candidates receive their PILS manual two weeks before the start of the course. Candidates are expected to have prepared for the course by reading the manual. Some centres may send Candidates a multiple-choice question (MCQ) paper to support Candidate learning.

Programme:

This course consists of lectures, skill stations and simulations.

Assessment and certification:

Assessment is continuous throughout the course and is guided by the assessment forms provided for each core skill. You will receive a copy of the assessment forms with your manual. 

Successful Candidates receive a Resuscitation Council UK PILS provider certificate, which is valid for one year. 

This course is recognised as continuing professional development (CPD) by the Medical, Dental and Nursing Royal Colleges and Health Care Professional Council. Please contact your registering body for further information.