# PALS certification: cost, renewal & jobs

PALS is the pediatric counterpart to ACLS: about $200 to $315, valid for 2 years, and asked for on pediatric emergency, PICU, and transport nursing jobs.

- **Author:** MedJobList Team
- **Published:** Jul 24, 2026
- **Updated:** Aug 15, 2026

## What's PALS?

PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) is an American Heart Association course that certifies you can run a resuscitation on an infant or child: recognize and treat respiratory failure and shock before they become cardiac arrest, read pediatric rhythms, give the right drugs and doses by weight, and lead or join a resuscitation team. It builds on Basic Life Support and covers the same emergencies as ACLS, but for pediatric patients instead of adults. The provider card is valid for 2 years ([American Heart Association](https://cpr.heart.org/en/courses/pals-course-options), July 2026).

## PALS vs ACLS

PALS and ACLS are the same idea for 2 different patient groups: ACLS is advanced life support for adults, PALS is advanced life support for infants and children. Both sit on top of a current BLS card, both are AHA courses, and both are valid for 2 years. Plenty of clinicians hold both, because they treat both age groups.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| BLS | The shared foundation. Compressions, AED use, and airway for adults, children, and infants. Assumed before either advanced course. |
| ACLS | Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, for adult emergencies: adult rhythms, defibrillation, and the drugs used in adult codes. See our [ACLS certification guide](/guides/acls-certification). |
| PALS | Pediatric Advanced Life Support, for infants and children: pediatric rhythms, weight-based dosing, and the respiratory and shock emergencies that lead to pediatric arrest. |

Which one a job asks for follows the patients. An adult ICU or an adult emergency department asks for ACLS. A pediatric ICU or a pediatric emergency department asks for PALS. A general emergency department that sees all ages often asks for both. At birth a newborn sits outside PALS: the pediatric guidelines say the neonatal ones are the ones to follow there, so a delivery room trains to the [Neonatal Resuscitation Program](/nrp-jobs). The weeks after birth they leave to the patient's physiology and the unit's own practice.

## Who requires PALS

Employers ask for PALS on roles that treat critically ill or injured children. On MedJobList that mostly means [registered nurses](/registered-nurse-jobs) and [respiratory therapists](/respiratory-therapist-jobs) in pediatric emergency departments, pediatric intensive care units, and pediatric transport teams. What a newborn intensive care unit asks for follows its own patient mix, since NRP is the starting point there and some of those infants are months past birth. [Nurse practitioners](/nurse-practitioner-jobs), [physician assistants](/physician-assistant-jobs), and [physicians](/physician-jobs) in emergency and pediatric critical care carry it too. General emergency and critical-care postings that see children often list PALS alongside ACLS. Outpatient and adult-only roles rarely ask for it.

## Requirements and eligibility

- Current BLS skills. The AHA doesn't list BLS as a formal prerequisite on its PALS page, but the course assumes you already have them, and many training centers ask to see a current BLS Provider card before the class.
- No degree or license set by the AHA. PALS is open to any healthcare provider who manages pediatric emergencies, and students can take it before their first job.
- Complete the cognitive portion, either in a classroom or through the HeartCode online course.
- Pass the written exam.
- Pass a hands-on skills test in front of an AHA instructor. This is the part that can't be done online.
- If you take the blended route, bring your HeartCode completion certificate to the in-person skills session.

## Cost, format, and renewal

The AHA doesn't set a price for PALS; training centers do, so the numbers below are US market rates as of July 2026. The course structure and 2-year validity are from the [American Heart Association](https://cpr.heart.org/en/courses/pals-course-options).

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Course fee | About $200 to $315 for a full or blended provider course |
| Renewal fee | About $170 to $265 for the shorter update course |
| Provider manual | $30 to $50 more if you buy it separately, and some centers require it |
| Format | Full classroom, or blended (HeartCode online coursework plus an in-person skills session) |
| Course length | About 12.5 hours for the full classroom course, or a self-paced HeartCode online portion plus a skills session of about 5.5 hours |
| Validity period | 2 years |
| Renewal requirement | A shorter Update course, classroom or HeartCode, before the card expires. No separate CE hours required by the AHA |
| If it lapses | Once the card has expired, most training centers make you take the full provider course instead of the shorter update |
| Issuing body | American Heart Association |

## Choosing a provider: why hospitals want the AHA card

For PALS, most hospitals want the American Heart Association card specifically, and many credentialing pages name it. Other organizations sell "PALS" courses, but a pediatric ICU or emergency department working to hospital accreditation standards usually expects the AHA version, so check the posting before you pay.

The expensive mistake is a certificate earned entirely online with no in-person skills test. A PALS card is proof you can manage a pediatric airway, defibrillate a child, and run weight-based dosing under pressure, and a web quiz doesn't demonstrate that. Cards with no skills session get rejected at credentialing, which can delay your start date and cost you the price of the right course a second time. HeartCode blended learning is fine: the online portion is self-paced, but it still ends in a hands-on skills session with an instructor.

## How to get certified

1. Confirm you've a current BLS card, or plan to show one. Most PALS classes expect it.
2. Check the job posting or your employer's credentialing page. If it names the American Heart Association, book an AHA course.
3. Pick a format on the [AHA course finder](https://cpr.heart.org/en/courses/pals-course-options): a full classroom course, or HeartCode blended (online coursework plus an in-person skills session).
4. If you choose blended, complete the HeartCode online portion first and save the completion certificate.
5. Attend the skills session, then pass the skills test and the written exam.
6. Download your provider eCard. The AHA issues it digitally, usually the same day.
7. Set a reminder for about 22 months out. The update course is cheaper and shorter than the full course you would need after the card lapses.

## Demand for PALS on MedJobList

PALS is named in 141 of the active US openings we track right now. Those are concentrated in pediatric and emergency nursing and in respiratory therapy, where advanced pediatric resuscitation is a core part of the job. You can browse the openings in the section below, or filter the full job list by PALS yourself.

## On the job

Bring the card on your first day. Most employers keep a copy on file, and some pediatric and critical-care units won't put you on the schedule until they have it. Once you're hired, ask who pays for recertification: many hospitals run their own AHA courses in-house and cover PALS for staff who need it, and plenty reimburse the fee. Ask at the interview or at onboarding, before you pay for renewal yourself.

## FAQ

### How long is PALS certification good for?

2 years from the date it's issued, according to the American Heart Association. Renew before it expires with the shorter Update course. Once the card has lapsed, most training centers require the full provider course instead.

### What's the difference between PALS and ACLS?

ACLS is advanced life support for adults; PALS is advanced life support for infants and children. Both are AHA courses, both sit on top of a current BLS card, and both are valid for 2 years. Many clinicians hold both because they treat both age groups. A job asks for whichever matches its patients, and general emergency departments often ask for both.

### How much does PALS certification cost?

About $200 to $315 for a full or blended provider course as of July 2026, and about $170 to $265 for renewal. The provider manual adds $30 to $50 if you buy it separately. The AHA sets no fixed price; training centers do, so amounts vary by location.

### Do I need BLS before taking PALS?

The AHA doesn't list BLS as a formal prerequisite on its PALS page, but the course assumes current BLS-level skills, and many training centers ask to see a current BLS Provider card before the class. In practice, get BLS first.

### Can I get PALS certified entirely online?

You can do the coursework online through HeartCode, but not the skills test. Cards issued with no in-person skills session are commonly rejected by healthcare employers at credentialing. HeartCode blended learning includes the skills session and is accepted.

### How long does the PALS course take?

About 12.5 hours for the full classroom course, per the American Heart Association. The HeartCode blended route replaces the classroom cognitive portion with a self-paced online course, followed by a hands-on skills session of about 5.5 hours.

Source: https://medjoblist.com/guides/pals-certification