International Trauma Life Support

What International Trauma Life Support does

International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Alabama as Basic Trauma Life Support, Ltd., doing business as ITLS in Texas, and currently managed by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Founded in 1982 by Dr. John Campbell, ITLS developed the first curriculum dedicated to prehospital trauma assessment and care worldwide and now offers 15 types of trauma courses — including ITLS Provider, Instructor, eTrauma, Completer, Duty to Respond, Pediatric, High Threat, Access, and Recertification — delivered through a network of chapters and training centres in more than 40 countries. ITLS has trained over 750,000 trauma care providers cumulatively and teaches more than 30,000 students annually.

The core technology stack is education-focused rather than software-centric: the proprietary ITLS Patient Assessment Algorithm is the keystone instructional framework, supported by Case-Based Learning Scenarios with Scenario Evaluation Rubric for instructor effectiveness. Operational infrastructure includes a Course Management System (cms.itrauma.org) for tracking student records and transmitting completion data quarterly to CAPCE (Commission on Accreditation of Pre-Hospital Continuing Education), a Learn.ITRAUMA.org online learning center for self-paced courses like the 8-hour ITLS eTrauma, and an ITLS Bookstore for course materials distributed in print via Pearson and digitally through VitalSource (PDF and ePub with 180-day rental). Educational content is continuously updated through the ITLS Editorial Board's Current Thinking position papers, addressing topics such as cervical collar use, damage control resuscitation, TXA, and traumatic cardiac arrest.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: course certification fees paid by students upon completion of ITLS coursework (with pricing set at the chapter/training centre level), bookstore sales of manuals and course materials (e.g., 7th edition ITLS Provider manual at $58 public, $53 bulk), and conference registration fees from the annual International Trauma Conference. Customer segments are diverse and primarily governmental (EMS professionals, paramedics, EMTs, firefighters, law enforcement, security personnel, community first responders) plus healthcare providers (nurses, physicians) and a downstream instructor/coordinator layer. GTM is event-driven, anchored by the annual International Trauma Conference, with supplementary channels including the chapter and training centre locator, online learning platform, podcast (ITLS Trauma Talk, launched October 2023), and direct e-commerce. There are no external investors, no funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

International Trauma Life Support

Legal name

Basic Trauma Life Support, Ltd.

Website

https://itrauma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1982 that delivers standardized prehospital trauma education and certification through 15 course types, 40+ country chapter network, and 30,000+ students trained annually. It serves EMS professionals, firefighters, law enforcement, and healthcare providers via accredited curricula managed under ACEP.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Medical Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Educational Services (61), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Medical Services (EMT/Paramedic) Training (EDAOAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

EMS Education, Training & Simulation Centers (HLAFANAL), Information Technology & Software (EDAAAPAB)

Keywords

• Prehospital trauma education
• Emergency medical certification
• Trauma life support courses
• EMS continuing education
• First responder training

Headquarters

HQ city

Downers Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Course Certification Fees: ITLS generates revenue through course certification fees charged to students upon completion of ITLS coursework and programs. The organization operates an ITLS Bookstore for selling course materials including manuals, textbooks (print and eBook), and related educational resources.
2. Bookstore Sales: ITLS operates a bookstore selling course materials including manuals, guidebooks, patches, pins, and apparel. Digital formats are available through VitalSource (PDF and ePub) with 180-day rental options.
3. Conference Registration: Revenue generated from the annual International Trauma Conference and Annual Meeting, including registration fees for attendees and special competition team rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ITLS develops and delivers standardized trauma education curricula and certification courses for prehospital (out-of-hospital) emergency care providers. The organization offers 15 types of trauma courses — including ITLS Provider, ITLS Instructor, ITLS eTrauma, ITLS Completer, ITLS Pediatric, ITLS High Threat, ITLS Access, ITLS Duty to Respond, and ITLS Recertification — delivered through a global network of chapters and training centres, supported by an online learning platform (Learn.ITRAUMA.org), a Course Management System (CMS), and a bookstore for course manuals and materials.

Product overview

International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) is a global not-for-profit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of trauma education courses for prehospital (out-of-hospital) emergency care providers. The core offering consists of the ITLS Provider Course, which teaches trauma assessment and care skills, with multiple related products and delivery modes including: the ITLS Instructor Course (blended learning format combining online and classroom components), ITLS eTrauma (8-hour online didactic instruction), and the ITLS Completer Course (1-day in-person skills verification following eTrauma). Specialized course variants include ITLS Pediatric (pediatric trauma), ITLS High Threat (tactical/operational), ITLS Access (patient access techniques), and ITLS Duty to Respond (community/first responder focused). Supporting infrastructure includes the ITLS Course Management System (CMS) for chapter/training center administration, an ITLS Learning Center LMS for online courses, and the ITLS Bookstore for materials. The organization also publishes Current Thinking position papers through its Editorial Board and produces the ITLS Trauma Talk podcast. Course accreditation is maintained through CAPCE, with student records transferred quarterly. Materials are available in both print and digital formats through VitalSource.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ITLS Provider Course The flagship ITLS course teaching trauma assessment and care skills to prehospital emergency care providers such as paramedics and EMTs, covering identification of traumatic conditions and required interventions.
• ITLS Instructor Course A blended-learning course combining online and classroom components that prepares individuals to deliver ITLS training to a global audience.
• ITLS eTrauma An 8-hour self-paced online course covering the didactic portion of ITLS Provider certification; completed online before a 1-day in-person Completer Course.
• ITLS Completer Course A 1-day in-person skills verification course taken after ITLS eTrauma to achieve full ITLS Provider certification (Advanced or Basic).
• ITLS Duty to Respond A 1-day hands-on practical trauma management course for first responders (firefighters, law enforcement, security personnel) covering scene considerations, rapid trauma assessment, shock and bleeding control, airway/breathing interventions, and triage.
• ITLS Pediatric Specialized trauma course focused on pediatric trauma assessment and care for prehospital providers.
• ITLS High Threat A tactical/operational course addressing trauma care in high-threat environments.
• ITLS Access A specialized course focused on techniques for accessing and extricating patients in difficult situations.
• ITLS Recertification Renewal courses and rapid renewal provider update options for maintaining ITLS certification.
• ITLS Case-Based Learning Scenarios A set of teaching scenarios and Scenario Evaluation Rubric designed to enhance instructors' efficiency and effectiveness, covering cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning domains.
• 1st Edition ITLS Course Manual for Emergency Care Providers The first-edition ITLS textbook for emergency care providers, with interventions and skills presented within each chapter to aid student comprehension of traumatic conditions and required interventions.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 750,000 trauma care providers trained since program inception
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ITLS is currently managed by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). ACEP and NAEMT partner annually for National EMS Week. ACEP leads projects including the EMS Performance Measures initiative and evidence-based guidelines for prehospital pain management in collaboration with NASEMSO and NAEMSP.
• National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025NAEMT partners with ACEP annually for National EMS Week. Both organizations work to ensure EMS practitioners' contributions are celebrated and recognized by employers, the public, and policymakers.
• Trauma Care UKminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025ITLS partnered with Trauma Care UK for the debut of the ITLS Duty to Respond program. Trauma Care UK is the leading UK organization promoting multidisciplinary involvement in education designed to optimize trauma victim care.
• PearsonChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020Orders for 8th and 9th edition textbooks are fulfilled by Pearson as the distribution partner for ITLS educational materials.
• Commission on Accreditation of Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020CAPCE is the U.S. EMS accreditation entity for ITLS courses. ITLS transfers student completion data to CAPCE quarterly for accreditation tracking. CAPCE accreditation is required for ITLS to confer continuing education hours to students.
• National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019NEMSQA was formed as an independent organization carrying forward the EMS Compass Measures initiative originally developed by NASEMSO and funded by NHTSA. NEMSQA works on measure development for improving EMS care quality.
• Saudi Arabia Red Crescent SocietyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019ITLS chapter that conducted research demonstrating the effectiveness of ITLS training on multidisciplinary healthcare providers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT): NAEMT operates PHTLS (Prehospital Trauma Life Support), the most established direct competitor to ITLS in prehospital trauma education, with overlapping global reach and similar EMS audience. The two organizations are also partners on National EMS Week, underscoring how closely their missions and customer bases align.
• Trauma Care UK: Trauma Care UK is the leading UK organization promoting multidisciplinary trauma education and was ITLS's launch partner for the ITLS Duty to Respond program. The two organizations compete and collaborate in delivering trauma education to UK prehospital and emergency providers.

Broad incumbents

• American Heart Association: AHA is the dominant provider of BLS, ACLS, and PALS training to the same EMS, fire, and healthcare professional audience that ITLS serves, and competes for the same continuing-education hours and instructor mindshare, though AHA's curriculum focuses on cardiovascular and resuscitation content rather than trauma.
• American Red Cross: The American Red Cross delivers BLS, First Aid, and emergency response training to a similarly broad public-safety, healthcare, and lay-responder base. While it does not offer a dedicated prehospital trauma curriculum like ITLS, it competes for the same training budgets, instructors, and learners in the EMS/first-responder market.
• HealthStream: HealthStream is a large healthcare workforce learning and credentialing platform that delivers continuing education and competency tracking to hospitals, EMS agencies, and healthcare systems, competing with ITLS for enterprise training budgets and the CAPCE/CEH delivery layer.

Emerging players

• Vector Solutions (TargetSolutions): Vector Solutions, including the TargetSolutions EMS training platform, delivers online continuing education, policy tracking, and certification management to fire and EMS agencies, overlapping with ITLS on the LMS, tracking, and CAPCE reporting capabilities that sit around trauma content.
• Relias (Medic-CE): Relias (which absorbed the Medic-CE EMS continuing education platform) provides online EMS and healthcare workforce training and compliance solutions, competing with ITLS for the online didactic and CE credit layer of prehospital provider education.
• Centre for Emergency Health Sciences (Monash University): Monash University's Centre for Emergency Health Sciences is an academic center focused on prehospital and emergency care education and research, including the Australasian EMS counterpart to ITLS-style trauma training and competing in the Australia/New Zealand chapter markets where ITLS also operates.

Others

• Jones & Bartlett Learning: Jones & Bartlett Learning is a major publisher of EMS and public safety textbooks and digital learning materials, serving the same instructor and student book-buying audience as the ITLS Bookstore and competing for inclusion in EMS program reading lists alongside ITLS manuals.
• EMS World (Clarion Events): EMS World is a leading EMS trade media brand, conference, and education platform that targets the same paramedic, EMT, and EMS leader audience as the ITLS Annual Meeting and competes for both training event attendance and editorial influence in prehospital care.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/itls
• Facebookfacebook.com/itlstrauma
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-trauma-life-support

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Trauma Life Support