American Heart Association Card Classes

HeartSaver CPR/AED

The Heartsaver CPR AED course trains participants to give CPR, and use an automated external defibrillator (AED) in a safe, timely, and effective manner.

The AHA Heartsaver CPR AED Course is designed for anyone with limited or no medical training who needs a course completion card in CPR and AED use to meet job, regulatory, or other requirements.

What does this course teach?

Describe how high-quality CPR improves survival
Explain the concepts of the Chain of Survival
Recognize when someone needs CPR
Perform high-quality CPR for an adult
Describe how to perform CPR with help from others
Give effective breaths using mouth-to-mouth or a mask for all age groups
Demonstrate how to use an AED on an adult
Perform high-quality CPR for a child*
Demonstrate how to use an AED on a child*
Perform high-quality CPR for an infant*
Describe when and how to help a choking adult or child
Demonstrate how to help a choking infant*

HeartSaver First Aid

The Heartsaver First Aid course trains participants first aid basics for the most common first aid emergencies, including how to recognize them, how to call for help, and how to perform lifesaving skills.

The AHA Heartsaver First Aid Course is designed for anyone with limited or no medical training who needs a course completion card in first aid to meet job, regulatory, or other requirements. Can be taught as a stand alone course or added to any of our other courses.

What does this course teach?

First aid basics
Medical emergencies
Injury emergencies
Environmental emergencies
Preventing illness and injury

Healthcare Provider Courses

Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider

The AHA’s BLS course trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality chest compressions, deliver appropriate ventilations and provide early use of an AED.

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 multirescuer resuscitation and performance as an effective team member during multirescuer CPR
Relief of foreign-body airway obstruction (choking) for adults and infants

Coming Soon!

ACLS

The AHA’s ACLS course builds on the foundation of lifesaving BLS skills, emphasizing the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR.

For healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies and for personnel in emergency response

What does this course teach?

Basic life support skills, including effective chest compressions, use of a bag-mask device, and use of an AED
Recognition and early management of respiratory and cardiac arrest
Recognition and early management of peri-arrest conditions such as symptomatic bradycardia
Airway management
Related pharmacology
Management of ACS and stroke
Effective communication as a member and leader of a resuscitation team

PALS

The AHA offers two separate courses for healthcare providers who require training in pediatric care.

For healthcare providers who respond to emergencies in infants and children and for personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care and critical care units

What does this course teach?

After successfully completing this course, students will be able to

Perform high‐quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) per American Heart Association (AHA) basic life support (BLS) recommendations
Differentiate between patients who do and do not require immediate intervention
Recognize cardiopulmonary arrest early and begin CPR within 10 seconds
Apply team dynamics
Differentiate between respiratory distress and failure
Perform early interventions for respiratory distress and failure
Differentiate between compensated and decompensated (hypotensive) shock
Perform early interventions for the treatment of shock
Differentiate between unstable and stable patients with arrhythmias
Describe clinical characteristics of instability in patients with arrhythmias
Implement post–cardiac arrest management