- Basic Life Support (BLS) course
The BLS course teaches participants how to perform CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
It is suitable for many groups, including healthcare professionals (both clinical and non-clinical), general practitioners, dentists, medical students, first aid workers, lifeguards, teachers, care workers, community responders, and members of the public.
- Immediate Life Support (ILS) course
The ILS course trains healthcare workers to provide advanced resuscitation.
Participants learn how to manage a patient in cardiac arrest until a resuscitation team arrives and how to work as part of that team.
The course covers:
The ABCDE approach to a deteriorating patient
CPR
Basic airway management
Safe defibrillation (manual and/or AED)
- Advanced Life Support (ALS) course
The ALS course builds on ILS skills and adds leadership and team management training.
Participants learn to:
Recognise the causes of cardiac arrest
Identify patients at risk of deterioration
Manage cardiac arrest and immediate complications in the first hour
The course is aimed at doctors, nurses, paramedics, and others who often respond to cardiac arrests or may lead resuscitation teams.
- Paediatric Basic Life Support (EPBLS) course
This course focuses on preventing and managing cardiac and breathing emergencies in children.
It teaches CPR and AED use for children and is open to healthcare professionals and the same wide range of people as the BLS course.
- European Paediatric Immediate Life Support (EPILS) course
EPILS prepares healthcare workers to recognise and manage critically ill children or those in cardiorespiratory arrest.
It trains participants to provide care in the first few minutes until the resuscitation team arrives and to work effectively as part of that team.
- European Paediatric Advanced Life Support (EPALS) course
This course is for healthcare professionals involved in resuscitating children, infants, or newborns.
It teaches how to manage critically ill children during the first hour of illness and prevent deterioration to cardiac arrest.
- Newborn Life Support (NLS) course
The NLS course teaches the resuscitation of newborn babies at birth.
It provides detailed knowledge and hands-on practice for all healthcare workers who may need to resuscitate a newborn.
- Basic Instructor Course (BIC)
The BIC is for candidates who have completed BLS or PBLS and want to become instructors.
Candidates must hold an ERC BLS or PBLS certificate.
- Generic Instructor Course (GIC)
The GIC is for candidates who have completed advanced provider courses (ALS, EPALS, ILS, EPILS, NLS, or ETC) and have been identified as having Instructor Potential.
The course focuses on teaching skills, leading scenarios, teamwork, assessment, and giving effective feedback.
- Educator Master Class (EMC)
The Educator Master Class trains selected Instructor Trainers or Medical Educators in the field of Resuscitation (e.g. resuscitation officers or members in a CPR training centre) to become an ERC Educator Candidates (EdC).
- Refresher Seminar (RS)
A Refresher Seminar is a short modular skills training, organised for the general public with prior experience in resuscitation, being an ERC provider or not.
- Recertification modules
Recertification modules help to keep CPR providers maintain their compentence and keep their certificates valid over time.
- Transition Course
A Transition Course is part of the conversion process of instructors who were trained by other organisations. It focuses on the educational aspects of the ERC courses and is instructed by ERC senior Instructor Trainers (ITs) chosen by the Science and Education Committee (SEC) of the relevant course type and Development Committee Education (DC-Edu) chair.
- European Trauma Course (ETC)
The European Trauma Course (ETC) is supported by the ERC but is not an ERC course. It is organised by the European Trauma Course Organisation (ETCO) and may have different rules. More information is available at www.europeantraumacourse.org