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.
This is a one-day course and will take place in a Course Centre. There are many Course Centres across the UK.
We use our evidence-based guidelines and cutting-edge research to create our courses. Courses are then 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.
The first step is to find a Course Centre near you. Below, you’ll find an area where you can search for local courses and find out how to get in touch with the organiser.
Course fees are decided locally by the Course Centre.
You are eligible to undergo the PILS course if you are a doctor, nurse, health visitor, school nurse, midwife, ODP, cardiac technician, resuscitation officer, medical student (final year), nursing student (final year), physiotherapist, dentist, dental nurse, ambulance technician/paramedic, healthcare assistant or nursing associate, occupational therapist, radiographer, fire service technician, police officer or cabin crew. The PILS course addresses the needs of staff who need more advanced skills than those taught during Basic Life Support (BLS), but who do not require the more comprehensive two-day European Paediatric Advanced Life Support (EAPLS) course.
The cost of the course is set locally by the Course Centre; it includes the cost of registration and the course materials (which are provided by the RCUK).
Yes, CPD points are available according to the table below. If you have any further queries regarding CPD points, please contact the Royal Colleges directly.
CPD points | ||
Provider course | Candidates | Faculty |
ALS (two day course) | 10 | 5 (max 10 in any one year) |
e-ALS (one day course) | 5 | 5 (max 10 in any one year) |
ALS recertification (one day course) | 5 | 5 (max 10 in any one year) |
EPALS (2-day) | 10 | 5 (max 10 in any one year) |
NLS (one day course) | 5 | 5 (max 10 in any one year) |
ARNI (one day course) | 10 | 5 (max 10 in any one year) |
ILS (one day course) | 5 | 5 (max 10 in any one year) |
PILS (one day course | 5 | 5 (max 10 in any one year) |
For accreditation of other healthcare staff, please see ‘continuing professional development statement' in ‘related documents.’
For more FAQs visit our online support system
Course Availability
| Course centre town | Course centre | Organiser |
|---|---|---|
| Kirkcaldy | NHS Fife |
Course Admin fife.practiceprofessionaldevelopment@nhs.scot |
| Lancaster | University of Cumbria |
Course administrator rcukcourseuoc@cumbria.ac.uk |
| Larbert | NHS Forth Valley |
Course Admin fv.resuscitation-training@nhs.scot |
| Leatherhead | Back to Life |
Course Admin admin@backtolife.co.uk |
| Leeds | Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust |
Course Admin leedsth-tr.nationalcourses@nhs.net |