Aim
 
The aim of the course is to give those responsible for initiating resuscitation at birth the background knowledge and skills to approach the management of a newborn infant during the first 10-20 minutes in a competent manner. The course concentrates on the importance of temperature control, practical airway management and ventilatory support.
 

Organisation
 
Newborn Life Support Provider courses are held at centres throughout the United Kingdom. All centres and their courses are approved and certificated by the Resuscitation Council (UK). This ensures a uniformity of content and standard regardless of the course centre. This course, which may be run over one or two days consists of lectures, practical stations and assessments. A manual is forwarded one month before the start of the course together with a pre-course questionnaire. This questionnaire should be completed before reading the manual and both the question and answer sheet will need to be handed in on arrival for the course. The pre-course test does not form part of the final assessment. The candidate is advised to study the manual carefully before the course.
 

Curriculum
 
Topics covered on the course include: History & Physiology; Resuscitation at Birth; Special Cases; Airway Management; Vascular Access; Equipment Familiarisation; and Chest Compressions.
 

Assessment and Certification
 
Even though the course includes both a theoretical test of knowledge and a practical test of airway management skills, those who have successfully completed the course should not consider themselves competent to cover labour wards unsupervised. Nor should their employers consider them to be competent in these skills. They will still require supervision when performing resuscitation in real life. However, the course will have equipped them to maximise the learning opportunity afforded by the experience. They should only be left unsupervised when they have satisfied appropriate senior staff in their own units of their knowledge and practical competence.

Candidates who successfully complete the course receive a Resuscitation Council (UK) NLS provider certificate, which is valid for four years.
 

Who should attend?
 
Anyone working as a healthcare professional and/or involved in care of the newborn. Junior and senior medical staff, midwives, neonatal nurses, paramedics, resuscitation officers and experienced nursing staff will find this course valuable.