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.

The ePILS course combines half a day of e-learning with half a day of face-to-face learning in one of our many Course Centres.

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:

Before the course, you will be registered on our Learning Management System (LMS). Here, you can access pre-course course modules that will prepare you for your face-to-face session, and you may be asked to complete a pre-course multiple choice question (MCQ) paper.

You will receive your course manual at least two weeks before the course. Candidates are expected to read the manual in preparation for the course.

Programme:

Candidates are free to complete the e-learning in their own time before the face-to-face session. The face-to-face session focusses on skill stations, recognition and management of the deteriorating patient and cardiorespiratory arrest simulations.

Download the full programme 

Assessment and certification:

Assessment is continuous throughout the course and is guided by the assessment forms provided for each core skill. Copies of the assessment forms should be forwarded to the Candidate with their 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.


Category

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.’ 

Category

For more FAQs visit our online support system

Course Availability

You can book one of the many courses in the UK shown in the list below by contacting the Course Centre organiser. The cost for a Candidate place will vary based on the Course Centre.
GeoData » LatLong Pair
Within
miles of
Course centre town Course centre Organiser
London Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Course Admin
rnoh.resus.officer@nhs.net
London St George's Hospital Course Admin
resus.services@stgeorges.nhs.uk
London University College Hospital Course Administrator
perrt.administrator@nhs.net
London Whittington Hospital NHS Trust Course Admin
resus.whittington@nhs.net
Maidstone KIMS Hospital Course Admin
01622237500
training@kims.org.uk