The PLS Course is designed to provide Nursing, Medical and Allied Healthcare staff and students with training in Paediatric Life Support skills utilising a one-day programme inclusive of both theoretical and practical components. The course focuses on: Basic Life Support for infants and children; Recognition and Management of the infant or child with a life threatening illness or injury; Provision of basic interventions such as “bag-valve mask ventilation, intra-osseous vascular access, together with some skills on the recognition on the recognition of cardiac arrythmias and an orientation to the use of defibrillators. The course is based on the UK Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS) course which is particularly suited to South African conditions and in line with local healthcare teaching.

The PLS course is suitable for Professional Nurses and Enrolled Nurses, Medical staff and students as well as Allied Healthcare Professionals working with children from birth to adolescence in any setting, both in hospital and outside of a hospital, where an emergency can occur or resuscitation of a sick or injured child is required.

Candidates are required to complete a pre-course MCQ based on course material that they have access to and are tested on their practical skills during the course to assess learning. Candidates receive a certificate and a course manual upon successful completion of the course. We also have recorded online content (lectures) that can be used as pre-course reading to facilitate skills transfer and improve learning. 

To book a course or to find out when the next courses are taking place, please email Rencia.Gillespie@uct.ac.za.