Certifications & Workshops
Find upcoming certification workshops in your area.
Filter Options
About Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support
PHTLS is developed by NAEMT in cooperation with the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma. It is based on the belief that, given a good fund of knowledge and key principles, EMS practitioners are capable of making reasoned decisions regarding patient care.
Certified By
NAEMT (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS)
Validity
4 years
Eligibility
EMTs, paramedics, nurses, physician assistants, physicians and other prehospital providers.
Pre-course Tasks
PHTLS covers the following topics:
- Physiology of life and death
- Scene assessment
- Patient assessment
- Hemorrhage control
- Airway
- Breathing, ventilation, and oxygenation
- Circulation and shock
- Special populations
Read them well before coming.
Course Day Preparation
- Arrive on time
- Wear comfortable clothing
- Do not skip Breakfast as skill sessions could be intense
- Some part can be outdoor. Use sunscreen.
Agenda
Day 1: Foundations and Primary Assessment
- Registration & Introduction: Course overview and pre-test.
- Philosophy of Trauma Care: Understanding kinematics of trauma, injury mechanisms, and the physiology of life and death.
- Scene and Patient Assessment: Emphasizing the X-ABCDE approach (eXsanguinating hemorrhage, Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure).
- Airway, Breathing, and Ventilation: Hands-on management of respiratory distress, airway obstruction, and tension pneumothorax.
- Shock and Hemorrhage Management: Identifying types of shock, fluid resuscitation protocols, and advanced bleeding control (tourniquets, hemostatic dressings).
Day 2: Specific Injuries and Patient Scenarios
- Specific Traumatic Injuries: Focused modules on trauma to the head, spine, chest, abdomen, and musculoskeletal system, as well as burns and environmental injuries.
- Special Populations: Trauma considerations for pediatric, geriatric, and pregnant patients.
- Disaster Management & Mass Casualties: Pre-hospital triage decisions and disaster response frameworks.
- Practical Skills Stations: Hands-on practice for airway control, spinal immobilization, and trauma assessment.
- Patient Simulations: Team-based trauma scenarios and case studies to test critical thinking in high-pressure situations.
- Final Examination: Written test and final mega-code or scenario practical testing.
For Hybrid format, Day 1 will be online lectures and Day 2 will feature are skill stations.
Renewal Process
Refresher Course: 8-hour classroom course for individuals who have successfully completed the 16 hour PHTLS provider course within the past four years.
Additional Information
This course may be offered as a full 16hr classroom course, or a hybrid course where students take 8 hours of the course online followed by 8 hours in the classroom.
Sample Certificate
