Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition, and Stabilization Course | PEARS Course

 Course by Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Course Description: The Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization (PEARS) Provider Course by Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is an intermediary pediatric skills course that builds on BLS concepts and can be a steppingstone towards certification in pediatric advanced life support (PALS). PEARS equips healthcare providers who periodically care for pediatric patients with foundational skills to participate in the initial management of respiratory and shock emergencies, and cardiopulmonary arrest. PEARS is designed for healthcare providers and first responders who provide care to patients in a wide variety of settings, including rural health centres, schools, or large urban health centres with diverse ranges in scope of practice among staff.

Intended Audience: Emergency medical services staff, paramedic and nursing students who have completed their clinical rotation, medical and surgical nurses, school nurses, community nurses, respiratory therapists who work in pediatric centers, general practitioners, physiotherapists, and any other healthcare providers who infrequently see critically ill infants and children.

Course Prerequisites:

• Current Heart & Stroke BLS Provider certification

Course Overview:
Course content:

Features

• Reflects science of the most recent Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC)
• Hands-on class format reinforces pediatric Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Simulation, video demonstration, and real-world scenarios

Content

• High-quality CPR for children and infants, including team dynamics
• Systematic approach to pediatric assessment
• Recognition and stabilization of respiratory emergencies
• Recognition and stabilization of shock emergencies
• Recognition and stabilization of cardiopulmonary arrest
• Multi-rescuer resuscitation

Skills:

• child and infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• oxygen delivery use of airway management equipment
• shock management giving rapid fluid boluses

Pediatric assessment: A systematic approach
Medical management:

• 4 types of acute respiratory problems
• 2 types of acute circulatory problems
• 2 types of cardiac arrest

Leadership: Communication and other important elements of team dynamics as they relate to resuscitation

• Perform BLS consistent with the most recent Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC)
• Perform high-quality CPR
• Demonstrate safe, proper use of an AED
• Evaluate a seriously ill or injured child by using the pediatric systematic approach
• Describe the evaluate-identify-intervene sequence
• Demonstrate the Pediatric Assessment Triangle to form an initial assessment of patient status
• Implement the primary assessment of the pediatric patient
• Identify the patient requiring immediate intervention
• Identify pediatric emergencies, including cardiac arrest, respiratory distress, and shock
• Demonstrate patient reassessment after each intervention
• Apply effective team dynamics
• Describe roles and responsibilities of team members
• Describe elements of effective team dynamics
• Demonstrate effective team dynamics in case scenarios
• Demonstrate initial stabilization of a seriously ill or injured child, including a child with cardiac arrest, respiratory distress, or shock
• Differentiate between mild and severe respiratory distress
• Perform early interventions for mild and severe respiratory distress
• Differentiate between compensated and hypotensive shock
• Perform early interventions for the treatment of shock
• Identify bradycardia and tachycardia in the pediatric patient

Course duration (time/days): 8 hours (1 day)
Certification: 2-years certification in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).

Course Materials: Books and materials are required on our courses by the Heart and Stroke Foundation. It is the participant’s responsibility to get the materials and it is not included in the course price.

Textbooks can be purchased directly from us, please click on the link below

Course Materials – First Aid Plus (first-aid-plus-canada.myshopify.com)

or

it can be purchased from the Heart and Stroke Foundation, please click on the link below, sign in, and then click the button that says SHOP

https://cpr.heartandstroke.ca/s/?language=en_US

Please ensure you order the following required student materials:

• 2020 Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Provider Manual – (Heart and Stroke Product Code: RE6210)
• 2020 Handbook of Emergency Cardiovascular Care for Healthcare Provider – (Heart and Stroke Product Code: RE0130)
• PALS Reference Card – (Heart and Stroke Product Code: RE6270) It is already included in Provider Manual but also sold separately if an extra one is needed.

It is advised that you read the textbook, in its entirety, prior to the course.