American Heart Association BLS and HeartSaver First Aid and AED

Basic Life Support (BLS) Courses

The AHA's Basic Life Support (BLS) course trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality chest compressions, deliver appropriate ventilations and provide early uses of an AED. Reflects science and education from the American Heart Association Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC).

Who should take this course? The AHA's BLS Course is designed for healthcare professionals and other personnel who need to know how to perform CPR and other basic cardiovascular life support skills in a wide variety of in-facility and prehospital settings.

What does this course teach? 

• High-quality CPR for adults, children, and infants
• The AHA Chain of Survival, specifically the BLS components
• Important early use of an AED
• Effective ventilations using a barrier device
• Importance of teams in multi-rescuer resuscitation and performance as an effective team member during multi-rescuer CPR
• Relief of foreign-body airway obstruction (choking) for adults and infants

Heartsaver Courses

Reflecting the latest science and education from the 2020 AHA Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC), the AHA's Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED courses provide students with the highest quality training in the lifesaving skills of first aid and/or CPR and use of an AED. These courses empower students to act with confidence in the event of an emergency at work, at home, or in the community.

Who should take this course? The AHA's Heartsaver courses are designed for anyone with little or no medical training who needs first aid and/or CPR training and a course completion card for job, regulatory (e.g., OSHA), or other regulatory or licensing requirements. Heartsaver courses can also be taken by anyone who wants to be prepared to act in an emergency. NOTE: This course, while comprehensive, is not necessarily appropriate for everyone, as it is primarily intended for a non-healthcare audience (we strongly recommend you check with your school or employer to make sure they will accept this course for proof of CPR training before enrolling).

Renewing Instructor Resources

The instructor certification period runs for 2 years, starting July 1 and ending June 30. Your renewals are due before June 30 of every odd year, otherwise, a possible lapse in certification may occur. 

• Instructor/Training Faculty Renewal Checklist eForm (PDF)
• Instructor Monitoring Tool eForm (PDF)
• Conflict of Interest and Ethics Policies

New Instructor Resources

• New Instructor Packet
• Instructor Candidate Application (PDF)
• Instructor Monitoring Tool eForm (PDF)
• Affiliation Instructions
• Affiliation Agreement 

Transferring Instructors Resources

• How to Transfer to NGTC Training Center
• Instructor Records Transfer Request (PDF)
• Affiliation Instructions
• Affiliation Agreement

Other Resources

• AHA Course Roster
• Instructor/TF Teaching Activity Notice to Primary TC eForm (PDF)
• AHA Instructor Network
• AHA PAM
• Atlas - AHA (heart.org)

Disclaimer: The American Heart Association strongly promotes knowledge and proficiency in BLS, ACLS, and PALS and has developed instructional materials for this purpose. Use of these materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the American Heart Association. Any fees charged for such a course, except for a portion of fees needed for AHA course materials, do not represent income to the Association.