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BLS Instructor Training Prerequisites / Course Details

Thank you for your interest in American Heart Association BLS Instructor Training with CPR Seattle. To enroll in a class, or view our current schedule click here. The following information outlines course prerequisites, required skill proficiencies, required course materials, how to prepare for the class, and what you need to do to be awarded Instructor status. To find out more about the time and cost involved with becoming an AHA instructor / AHA Training Site, click here. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions via phone (206-504-3280) or email (cpr@cprseattle.com).

Course Prerequisites:

  • Current American Heart Association BLS Provider certification card. Certification cards from non-AHA programs will not be accepted (see this link for a guide to AHA certification cards).
  • Current American Heart Association Heartsaver Adult, Child, Infant CPR & First Aid  provider certification card (2020 guidelines). An ASHI (American Safety and Health Institute) blended learning certification card does not meet this requirement. 
  • Complete the AHA BLS Instructor Essentials Online training.
  • Obtain and watch the entire BLS Provider course video (DVD or streaming version).
  • Alignment with an AHA Training Center: Instructors are required to be aligned with a Training Center. Please, create an account on the  AHA  Atlas Instructor Network (use this link) and upon successful completion of your course monitoring session you will be able to request alignment with CPR Seattle. Instructors not aligning with CPR Seattle will need to complete their course monitoring and have their Instructor certification card issued by the Training Center they will be aligned with. Please speak with any CPR Seattle staff for details.
  • Exemplary BLS Provider skills and Heartsaver CPR and First Aid skills (see list of skills below).
  • Passing scores (84%) on the BLS Provider exam and the Heartsaver CPR and First Aid Provider exam.
  • Passing score (84%) on the BLS Instructor exam.

Course Monitoring & Training Center Alignment Fee

The final part of BLS Instructor training consists of the candidate teaching a portion of a BLS class (conducted at CPR Seattle) under the supervision of a CPR Seattle Training Center faculty member. After successfully completing this portion, the candidate will be issued a BLS Instructor certification card. Candidates must enroll in a scheduled BLS Course Monitoring Class within 6 months of their instructor course. If the candidate does not complete the course monitoring session within 6 months of completing the instructor training, the instructor course must be taken again. Click here to see upcoming course monitoring dates and to enroll in a session. NOTE: There will be only one or two monitoring session dates available for each Instructor class. Please make sure you can attend one of the scheduled sessions before you enroll in the Instructor course.

When you enroll in Course Monitoring, the fee charged represents our Training Center Aligment Fee. Our Alignment Fee is $198, which covers a 2-year Instructor Certification at $8.25 per month. American Heart Association Training Centers charge an alignment fee to cover the cost of the services they provide their customers (see below). 

  • Employing several full-time office staff and Training Center Faculty to answer your questions when you call.
  • Scheduling Instructor Renewal classes to meet demand.
  • Fielding daily phone calls to assist your students with claiming their certification cards, accessing their certification cards, changing any incorrect names or email addresses in their accounts, and helping out with technical issues. 
  • Maintaining a brick-and-mortar location for training. 
  • Reviewing your Portal Orders for accuracy and processing your certification cards through the AHA Instructor Network. 
  • Developing and maintaining software to process your Portal Orders.
  • Keeping the Instructor Portal up to date with relevant documents.Retaining all your instructor records as required by the AHA, and paying all associated cloud storage fees. 
  • Reviewing and updating our AHA Instructor Network database to prepare for the new AHA Atlas software.
  • Learning, disseminating, and training our staff and (soon) our aligned instructors on the new AHA Atlas software. 
  • Updating instructor renewal curriculum to reflect changes in science and AHA policy. 
  • Tracking instructor certification expiration and following up with expiring instructors to help them renew.
  • Disseminating information to you about the AHA policy changes, science changes, and updates.
  • Meeting with American Heart Association representatives to review compliance, procedures, and regulatory updates.

How to Prepare for the AHA BLS Instructor Course

  1. Practice, practice, practice your skills! The BLS Instructor Manual contains a skill check-off sheet (pages 23-25) that you will use to evaluate your own students. Skills are explained step by step. Study the skills check list, practice the skills yourself, you can even practice watching a friend performing the skill and check off the steps they have performed correctly as they do the skill. An additional way to practice is by re-watching the AHA BLS and Heartsaver course videos. You can also audit a BLS or Heartsaver course by contacting CPR Seattle. Students who cannot correctly perform these skills at the beginning of the instructor course will not be permitted to continue the course and will be asked to attend the next session.
  2. Read through your entire AHA BLS Provider Instructor Manual.
  3. Read through your entire AHA BLS Provider Student Manual.
  4. Read through your entire AHA Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED Student Manual.
  5. Read through the Program Administration Manual (available on the AHA Instructor Network)
  6. Complete the online BLS Instructor Essentials Course and email your completion certificate to CPR Seattle. The BLS Instructor manual will be required in order to complete the online training.

Required Instructor Course / Teaching Materials

These materials must be obtained before the start of your class, via CPR Seattle or at https://shopcpr.heart.org/. The BLS Provider Instructor Manual is required to be on hand in order to complete the BLS Instructor Essentials Online training*. 

  • AHA 2020 BLS Provider Instructor Manual 
  • AHA 2020 BLS Provider Student Manual 
  • AHA 2020 BLS Provider Course Video (DVD or streaming version) 

If instructors wish to conduct Heartsaver CPR & First Aid programs, the following materials are required:

  • Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED Instructor Manual
  • Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED Provider Course Video (DVD or streaming version) 
  • Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED Student Manual (the Heartsaver Student Manual is highly recommended to help prepare for the BLS Instructor Training).

Required Skill Proficiencies (must be correctly demonstrated at the start of the classroom session of the BLS Instructor course)

  • 1 and 2-rescuer Adult BLS
  • 1 and 2-rescuer Infant BLS
  • Lay rescuer Adult CPR/AED (Heartsaver CPR)
  • Lay rescuer Infant CPR (Heartsaver CPR)
  • Removing Gloves (Heartsaver First Aid)
  • Finding the Problem (Heartsaver First Aid)
  • Using an Epinephrine Pen (Heartsaver First Aid)
  • Stopping Bleeding and Bandaging (Heartsaver First Aid)

 

Questions? Feel free to call us at 206-504-3280, or send us an email at cpr@cprseattle.com.