Practitioner Immediate Life Support
The Practitioner Immediate Life Support (ARLS) course is authored by the Australian Institute for Clinical Education, and is taught alongside the ARLS course as gold standard resuscitation education. Unlike the ARLS course, the PILS course is designed to be the solution for clinicians working within institutions, and with only the standard half-day educational commitment to ensure that they are effective in a deteriorating patient or cardiac arrest situation.
Similar to ARLS, the PILS course is based on the online, mobile and blended-learning educational modalities, in recognition that learning has had to change, not only because of the potential for infection, but also because of the recognition that digital technology has empowered us to revolutionise clinical teaching and learning. PILS Radiology and PILS Dentistry are in development, as solutions to the unique resuscitation situations encountered.
Spaced-education post-learning consolidation
The PILS pre-learning, similar to the ARLS course, combines broadcast-quality studio videos, focused on the Advanced Life Support algorithm, systematic approaches to the undifferentiated or deteriorating patient, and Clinical Skills modules. These are each limited to a maximum of ten to fifteen minutes in duration.
PILS face-to-face training
PILS face-to-face training comprises teaching and practice in High-Quality CPR, the Primary Survey and the DRS ABCD approach, airway management to the level of LMA insertion and endotracheal intubation, BVM ventilation, and safe defibrillation using the COACHED mnemonic.
The PILS face-to-face training takes place over a single half-day training session, organised to fit within a facility educational program. The innovative blended learning structure means that candidates, who may include medical, nursing and allied health professionals, may study all relevant theory as online prelearning, then focus on developing skills and teamwork in the time-limited sessions.
PILS is specifically designed and constructed for adoption by hospitals and other facilities for training of both front-line and other staff.
Spaced-education post-learning consolidation
Following the PILS face-to-face training, candidate knowledge is consolidated with an extended series of emailed questions, using the principles of spaced education and the Forgetting Curve, to embed essential knowledge. Developed at Harvard, these techniques have been shown to be the most effective method to ensure understanding is retained.
The principals and senior instructors for the Australian Institute for Clinical Education were instrumental in teaching the first ARC ALS courses in Australia, and have been involved with the ALS teaching and development for over two decades. They have also been involved in teaching ALS for more than twenty years in locations as diverse as England, Scotland, Ireland, India, the Philippines and East Timor.
