Out of Hospital Advanced Life Support

Developed by the Resuscitation Council UK, OH-ALS has evolved from the established Advanced Life Support (ALS) programme and has been specifically redesigned to meet the unique challenged of delivering advanced life support in the pre-hospital environment.

This immersive two-day provider course combines evidence-based teaching, practical skills stations, high fidelity simulation and realistic pre-hospital scenarios to develop both your technical expertise and non-technical skills. You’ll learn to confidently manage critically ill patient and cardiac arrests in challenging out-of-hospital environments, whilst strengthening your leadership, communication and decision making under pressure.

Whether you work frontline ambulance services, HEMS, community response or other pre-hospital settings, OH-ALS provides the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver exceptional advanced life support when every second counts.

Who is this course for?

The OH-ALS course is designed for healthcare professionals who work in the pre-hospital environment and require Advanced Life Support skills as part of their clinical role.

The course is suitable for:

  • Registered Paramedics
  • Specialist and Advance Paramedics
  • Critical Care Paraemedics
  • HEMS Clinicans
  • Doctors working in emergency medicine or pre-hospital care
  • Advanced Clinical Practitioners
  • Registered Nurses working within emergency, urgent care or pre-hospital settings
  • Military medical personnel
  • Other registered healthcare professionals involved in emergency or pre-hospital care
  • Final Year Paramedic students
  • Final Year Medical students

Applicant must hold a recognised professional healthcare qualification or be currently undertaking professional healthcare training.

Final year Paramedic students and final year Medical students are also eligible to attend, providing they are undertaking an approved programme learning to professional registration.

Course Overview

Over two intensive days, you will broaden your understanding of delivering Advanced Life Support outside of the prehospital environment through a combination of:

  • Interactive lectures
  • Practical skill stations
  • Human factors workshops
  • High-fidelity simulation
  • Team leadership exercises
  • Structured debriefs
  • Realistic multidisciplinary pre-hospital scenarios

Delivered by experienced faculty with backgrounds in NHS ambulance services, HEMS, emergency medicine and critical care, the course reflects the realities of the modern pre-hospital practice and focuses on providing evidence-based care in dynamic environments.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course you will be able to:

  • Recognise and manage the deteriorating patient using a structured ABCDE assessment
  • Deliver standardised Advanced Life Support in adults, including adaptations required for special circumstances encountered in the pre-hospital environment
  • Manage adult cardiac arrest safely and effectively whilst working within a multidisciplinary team
  • Apply current Resuscitation Council UK guidelines during pre-hospital resuscitation
  • Develop confident leadership and teamwork using effective non-technical skills
  • Improve communication, situational awareness and decision-making during high-pressure incidents
  • Deliver safe, structured and evidence-based advanced life support outside of hospital

 

Course Assessment

Throughout the course candidates are continuously assessed through:

  • Practical skill stations
  • Simulated cardiac arrest scenarios
  • Team leadership and participation
  • Faculty observation and feedback
  • End-of-course assessments in accordance with Resuscitation Council UK standards

Successful candidates will receive the official Resuscitation Council UK Out of Hospital Advanced Life Support (OH-ALS) Provider Certificate

Pre-Course Preparation

To ensure every candidate gains the maximum benefit from the course, pre-course learning is mandatory.

Approximately one month before the course, candidates will receive:

  • Their official RCUK ALS course manual
  • Registration details for the Resuscitation Council UK Learning Management System (LMS)
  • Access to online learning modules
  • A pre-course Multiple Choice Questionnaire (MCQ)

Candidates are expected to:

  • Read the course manual in full before attending
  • Complete all online learning modules
  • Complete the pre-course MCQ before the course start date

Please note that printed course manuals cannot be posted internationally. International candidates will receive electronic access to the course materials prior to attendance, with a printed manual available on the course where appropriate.

Why Choose Totem Medical Academy?

At Totem Medical Academy, we don’t simply teach resuscitation—we recreate the realities of modern pre-hospital care.

As the first RCUK OH-ALS Training Centre in the North West of England, our mission is to raise the standard of pre-hospital resuscitation through outstanding education.

Our faculty bring together extensive operational experience from:

  • NHS Ambulance Services
  • Critical Care & HEMS
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Intensive Care
  • Clinical Education
  • Major Incident Response

Using immersive simulation, realistic scenarios and the latest resuscitation equipment, we provide an engaging learning experience that prepares clinicians to perform confidently when lives depend on them.

Course Duration

2 Days

Certification

Successful candidates will receive the official Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) Out of Hospital Advanced Life Support (OH-ALS) Provider Certificate.

Entry Requirements

Applicants must:

  • Hold a recognised professional healthcare qualification or be currently undertaking professional healthcare training.
  • Final Year Paramedic Students and Final Year Medical Students are eligible to attend.
  • Complete all mandatory pre-course learning via the RCUK Learning Management System.
  • Submit the required pre-course MCQ before attending.
  • Attend and participate in the full two-day course.

Raise the Standard of Pre-Hospital Care

Join the on of the first RCUK Out of Hospital Advanced Life Support Training Centre in the North West of England and develop the advanced clinical knowledge, practical skills and leadership required to manage critically ill patients and cardiac arrests in the pre-hospital environment.

Train with experienced faculty. Learn through immersive simulation. Deliver exceptional care when it matters most.

Register your interest today and be among the first clinicians to complete the RCUK OH-ALS programme at Totem Medical Academy.