Who Can Take the Course
The BLS Instructor Essentials Course is an intensive course for instructor candidates who have already successfully completed the BLS Provider Course. The role and scope of practice of healthcare providers can vary greatly, so there are no profession-specific guidelines for becoming an AHA Instructor in a specific discipline. Instructor candidates should exemplify integrity, demonstrate strong ethics, communicate clearly, and model a dedication to quality of training.
BLS instructor candidates must meet certain requirements before taking the Instructor Essentials Course. Before attending the hands-on session (facilitated by faculty), all instructor candidates must
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Be aligned with an AHA TC
- Instructor candidates must have a TC that has agreed to accept them as an instructor once they have completed Instructor Essentials and their monitoring is completed.
- Have a current AHA BLS Provider course completion card
- Be proficient in the skills of BLS
- Complete an Instructor Candidate Application
- Successfully complete the online portion of Instructor Essentials
As a BLS Instructor, candidates will also be able to teach any course within the Heartsaver portfolio. Even though instructor candidates will be able to teach both BLS Provider and Heartsaver courses after completing the BLS Instructor Essentials Course, they need only a BLS Provider card to take BLS Instructor Essentials.
If you have any questions about prerequisites, please consult your TCC.
BREMSS TC specific requirements
- The BREMSS TC requires all instructor candidates to provide a letter from your employer or agency training officer or medical director requesting admission to the the AHA BLS Instructor Essentials course. This letter should also verify the candidate meets the required skills proficiency and knowledge as it pertainins to BLS. The instructor candidate may also provide documentation from the AHA lead instructor of the most recent provider course verifying that the candidate has met instructor potential in the requested discipline.
Steps to Become an Instructor
There are 4 steps to become an AHA Instructor. For successful completion, instructor candidates must
- Be accepted by an AHA Training Center (TC) before enrolling in an Instructor Essentials Course and have a completed Instructor Candidate Application on file with that TC
- Have current AHA Provider status in the discipline for that Instructor Essentials Course and be proficient in all the skills of that discipline
- Successfully complete the Instructor Essentials Course, including both the online and hands-on session
- Successfully be monitored teaching within 6 months after completing the hands-on session of the Instructor Essentials Course (Training Center Coordinators [TCCs] may require additional monitoring, if needed)
Required Documentation
The following documentation must be uploaded upon course registration:
- Instructor Candidate Application
- Current AHA BLS Provider Certification