Organize pediatric assessment, airway priorities, rhythms, shock, resuscitation, formulas, and team roles in one rapid-review chart.

PALS combines pediatric assessment with resuscitation knowledge, age-specific physiology, respiratory priorities, shock recognition, arrhythmia management, medications, electrical therapy, and team performance. Zombie Notes PALS Certification Exam Prep condenses those major relationships into a two-page review chart. It is designed to help learners see the structure of PALS more clearly, revisit high-yield material quickly, and keep age-specific numbers and decision pathways from becoming a collection of disconnected facts.

About This Study Chart

The chart begins with assessment and the pediatric emphasis on airway and breathing, then moves through ventilation, capnography, circulation, defibrillation, cardioversion, neurologic concerns, BLS, equipment, vascular access, shock, trauma, SVT, and ventricular tachycardia. The second page brings together CPR ratios, age-related respiratory and heart-rate ranges, hypotension calculations, endotracheal tube formulas, tube-placement confirmation, pulseless ventricular rhythms, PEA/asystole, bradycardia, team dynamics, and course-preparation reminders.

That range is precisely why a compact map can be useful. The chart does not attempt to replace a PALS provider manual or skills course. Instead, it lets the student repeatedly revisit the relationships that must be recognized quickly: age, perfusion, respiratory status, rhythm, stability, and the appropriate escalation of care.

What You’ll Find Inside

• Pediatric assessment priorities: ABCDE assessment, responsiveness, airway and breathing, oxygenation, ventilation, capnography, neurologic concerns, and reassessment are grouped at the start.
• Pediatric BLS and airway review: Age-specific compression approaches, rescue breathing, choking response, equipment, and airway troubleshooting are organized for comparison.
• Vascular access, fluids, shock, and trauma: The chart connects IV/IO access, fluid review, compensated and decompensated shock concepts, and trauma priorities.
• SVT and ventricular tachycardia: Narrow- and wide-complex tachycardia sections help learners compare rhythm, stability, medication, and cardioversion pathways.
• Cardiac arrest and bradycardia: Pulseless ventricular rhythms, PEA/asystole, reversible causes, post-arrest considerations, and symptomatic bradycardia are reviewed together.
• High-yield pediatric tables: Page two includes compact reference tables for CPR ratios, respiratory and heart-rate ranges, hypotension calculations, and endotracheal tube sizing.

Who It Helps

• Nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare professionals preparing for PALS training or renewal.
• Students who need a compact companion to the official PALS provider materials.
• Clinicians who want to refresh pediatric resuscitation relationships, formulas, and age-specific distinctions.
• Instructors who want a concise supplemental review chart for repeated pre-course study.

How Zombie Notes Work

Use the chart in layers. Begin with one domain - assessment, airway, shock, arrhythmias, or arrest - and make sure you can explain the sequence without looking. Then use the tables on page two to drill the age-specific values and formulas that are harder to retain through occasional reading alone.

Because PALS is both cognitive and performance-based, the chart is most useful when combined with the official provider material, scenario practice, and hands-on skills. Zombie Notes provide the compressed map; the full course provides the depth, context, and performance training.

Current with the 2025 AHA Guidelines and Resuscitation Science

The chart is an independent supplemental resource and should be used with current authoritative pediatric resuscitation materials, formal training, and applicable local clinical requirements.

About the Authors

Michele G. Kunz, MSN, ANP, RN, is a nurse practitioner, healthcare educator, and author whose teaching focuses on making complex clinical material easier to organize, review, and remember. Her Zombie Notes Study Charts use concise explanations, visual structure, and repeated high-yield relationships to support students, nurses, and other healthcare professionals as they study certification and clinical-review material.

Joseph C. Kunz, Jr., is a writer, publisher, and co-creator of the Zombie Notes Study Charts. Through The Mindful Nurse Press, he works alongside Michele to turn complex clinical material into clear, well-organized study tools, handling the design, production, and publishing that bring each chart to healthcare students and professionals.

Product Details

• Title: PALS Certification Exam Prep
• Series: Zombie Notes Study Charts
• Subtitle: A Test Prep Guide for Healthcare Professionals and Students
• Authors: Michele G. Kunz, MSN, ANP, RN
• Publisher: Dickson Keanaghan, LLC
• Imprint: The Mindful Nurse Press
• Publication Date: 2026
• Format: Ebook / Digital Study Guide
• Print Edition: None — Ebook Only
• Ebook ISBN: 979-8-90706-012-8
• Language: English

Educational Note

This independent study chart is an educational and supplemental review resource. It is not an official American Heart Association product and does not replace required provider manuals, course materials, hands-on skills training, instructor guidance, institutional policy, local protocols, medical direction, or clinical judgment. Medication, device, resuscitation, and treatment information should always be checked against current authoritative sources and applicable local requirements.