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

• Current American Heart Association (AHA)  Heartsaver Adult, Child, Infant CPR and First Aid provider certification card. 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. 
• Completion of the online AHA Heartsaver Instructor Essentials course
• Obtain a copy of the AHA Heartsaver Instructor Manual and read through
• Obtain the AHA Heartsaver First Aid and CPR course video (DVD or streaming version) and watch the entire video
• Exemplary Heartsaver Adult, Child & Infant CPR/AED and First Aid skills (see list of skills below)
• Ability to pass the Heartsaver CPR, AED and First Aid provider written exam
• Instructors are required to join the AHA Instructor Network (use this link) and request alignment with an AHA Training Center. Instructor will have their alignment approved after completing their Instructor Course. CPR Seattle welcomes those who attend our Instructor Course to align with us. Please speak with any CPR Seattle staff for details.

How to Prepare for the AHA Heartsaver Instructor Course

1. Practice, practice, 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 own 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. 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 the entire Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED Instructor Manual.

3. Read through the entire Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED Student Manual.

4. Read the Program Administration Manual (available on the AHA Instructor Network)

5. Complete the online Heartsaver Instructor Essentials Course and email your completion certificate to CPR Seattle.

Course Monitoring & Training Center Alignment Fee

A CPR Seattle Training Center Faculty must monitor instructor candidates teaching an actual CPR class before receiving an instructor card. Candidates must enroll in a Heartsaver 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 Alignment 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. 
• Reviewing your Portal Orders for accuracy and processing your certification cards through the AHA Instructor Network. 
• 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 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.

Required Instructor Course / Teaching Materials

These materials must be obtained from CPR Seattle or https://shopcpr.heart.org/ before your course start date. To order from CPR Seattle call 206-504-3280 or email cpr@cprseattle.com.  

• Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED Instructor Manual  (required to complete the pre-course online training)
• 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 (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 us at 206-504-3280, or send us an email at cpr@cprseattle.com.