Heartsaver CPR & First Aid Instructor Training Course Details and Prerequisites

Thank you for your interest in American Heart Association Heartsaver 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 (which are not included in the cost of the class session), and how to prepare. 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

• American Heart Association (AHA)  Heartsaver Adult, Child, Infant CPR and First Aid Provider certification card. Your card must be current. Certification cards from non-AHA programs will not be accepted (see this link for a guide to AHA certification cards). Important note: A BLS Provider certification does not meet this prerequisite. An ASHI American Safety and Health Institute blended learning certification card does not qualify. 
• AHA Heartsaver Instructor Essentials. This is a 2-hour online course that will be sent to you upon enrollment. 
• Exemplary Heartsaver Adult, Child & Infant CPR/AED and First Aid skills (see list of skills below). 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.

How to Prepare for the AHA Heartsaver Instructor Course

1. Complete your Heartsaver Instructor Essentials Course. Email your completion certificate to CPR Seattle. 
2. Read the AHA Instructor Manual. This can be purchased when you enroll in your AHA Heartsaver Instructor Course. 
3. Watch the AHA Heartsaver First Aid and CPR course video. The course video (DVD or streaming version) can be purchased when you enroll in your AHA Heartsaver Instructor Course.
4. Read the AHA Heartsaver CPR AED and First Aid Student Workbook. This will be purchased when you sign up for a Heartsaver Adult, Child, Infant CPR and First Aid provider course. 
5. Practice your skills! Part 4 of the Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED Instructor Manual contains skill check-off sheets and skills descriptors that you will use to evaluate your students. Skills are explained step by step. Study the skills checklist and practice the skills yourself until you have mastered them. 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 watching the AHA Heartsaver videos. You can also audit a Heartsaver course by contacting CPR Seattle.
6. Enroll in a Heartsaver Course Monitoring Class (see below). This must be completed within 6 months of your Heartsaver Instructor Training course. 

Course Monitoring & Training Center Alignment Fee

The final step in obtaining your instructor certification is to attend a Course Monitor session. During this event, a CPR Seattle Training Center Faculty (TCF) will monitor the candidate teaching a Heartsaver 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. 

When you enroll in Course Monitoring, the fee charged represents our Training Center Alignment Fee for your two year certification period.  American Heart Association Training Centers charge an alignment fee to cover the cost of the services they provide their customers including:

• Employing several full-time office staff and Training Center Faculty (TCF) 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. 
• A thorough review of each course you submit to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Processing your certification cards through the AHA Atlas software. 
• Maintaining a brick-and-mortar location for Instructor Training. 
• 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.
• Learning, disseminating, and training our staff and our aligned instructors on the 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.

Required Instructor Course / Teaching Materials

These materials must be obtained before your instructor training. You can purchase these during the enrollment process through the CPR Seattle website. 

• Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED Instructor Manual
• Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED Course Video (DVD or streaming version) 
• Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED Student Manual 

Required Skill Proficiencies

• Adult CPR/AED (Heartsaver CPR/AED)
• Child CPR/AED (Heartsaver CPR/AED)
• Infant CPR (Heartsaver CPR/AED)
• Finding the Problem (Heartsaver First Aid)
• Using an Epinephrine Pen (Heartsaver First Aid)
• Stopping Bleeding and Bandaging (Heartsaver First Aid)
• Removing Gloves (Heartsaver First Aid)

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