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FAQs
Choosing a Course
The AHA does not mandate a minimum age requirement for learning CPR. The ability to perform CPR is based more on body strength than age. Studies have shown that children as young as nine years old can learn and retain CPR skills. Please speak with an AHA Instructor or Training Center if you have any concerns.
The science in the official AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC shows that victims have a greater chance of survival from cardiac arrest when high-quality CPR includes use of an AED.
Family & Friends® CPR provides basic CPR training in a dynamic group environment using the research-proven practice-while-watching method. Find an AHA Training Center near you. You may also be interested in learning basic CPR skills using the AHA’s CPR Anytime kit, which you can share with family, friends and loved ones.
Heartsaver® CPR AED is probably best for you. The AHA offers this course in both AHA Training Centers offering Heartsaver classes, and hands-on skills sessions for blended learning courses.
Our Heartsaver Courses are for anyone with limited or no medical training who needs a course completion card for job, regulatory or other requirements. While these courses are designed to meet OSHA requirements, OSHA does not review or approve any courses for compliance.
First responders or professional rescuers generally include fire, police, and emergency medical personnel. These types of prehospital professionals usually need to complete a Basic Life Support (BLS) course. Check with your employer or licensing authority and learn more about our BLS course options.
The AHA’s Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED Course is designed to meet regulatory requirements for childcare workers in all 50 United States. The AHA offers this course in both blended learning and classroom-based formats. Find an AHA Training Center near you offering Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED classes and hands-on skills sessions for blended learning courses.
Yes, online courses and more information are currently available on cprsuppliers.com
The cost for hands-on sessions is determined by the AHA Training Center offering the session. Training Centers will be able to answer your questions about availability and fees.
No, first aid is not included in the AHA’s BLS courses. The AHA offers a variety of courses that will prepare you to respond to a first aid emergency, including
No, BLS is not included in AHA’s ACLS courses. However, it is expected that healthcare providers taking an ACLS course come to class already proficient in BLS skills. However, the AHA has provided its Training Centers with sample agendas that allow BLS skills to be incorporated into advanced courses. Check with your Training Center about this option.
Students in ACLS courses are not required by the AHA to have a current BLS Provider card, but they are expected to be proficient in BLS skills. Training Centers may require students to have current BLS Provider card.
In CPR and first aid training, An infant is younger than one year A child is older than one year and has not reached puberty An adult is anyone who has gone through or is going through puberty.
Preparing For Your Course
If the TC has listed its classes in our system, you will be able to register for that class online. You may also have to call the TC or visit the TC’s website to inquire about costs and availability, and to register and pay for the class.
Our CPR and first aid courses involve hands-on practice sessions, so wear something comfortable. If you have long hair, it is best to wear it back. Along with this due to Covid regulation we require all class attendants to maintain minimum six feet separation as well as appropriate face / nose covering.
First, ask your Training Center (TC). The TC may offer the course materials to you as part of the overall course.
The AHA publishes CPR, first aid and advanced cardiovascular care training materials in several different languages. Purchase international student materials at cprsuppliers.com
No. Each student must have his or her own current and appropriate manual or workbook readily available for use before, during and after the course.
The AHA owns the copyrights to AHA textbooks, manuals and other CPR, first aid, and advanced cardiovascular care training materials. These materials may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the AHA. To request permission to reprint, copy or use portions of CPR, first aid, and advanced cardiovascular care materials, submit a written request to the AHA at copyright.heart.org.
You can find information about the AHA’s guidelines for translating materials at the AHA’s copyright permission site.
The AHA does not produce materials in Braille. However, through the proper channels we can provide you a student manual/workbook in digital format for your use. Please contact a local AHA Training Center near you so they can assist you.
Instructor Courses
Visit cprsuppliers.com or attend one of our instructor courses once you have the provider level completion card. This will be a more intense course to show you can both perform and teach others how to complete the needed material. We recommend studying the instructor textbook and checking out accompanying classes to get a better understanding. We offer the ability for some students to shadow our educators at our discretion.
The AHA requires that instructors be at least 18 years of age to teach Heartsaver and BLS courses. ACLS, PALS and PEARS Instructors must be at least 18 years of age and licensed or certified in a healthcare occupation where the skills are within the provider’s scope of practice.
Yes, BLS Instructors are authorized to teach all Heartsaver-level courses, including Heartsaver First Aid, Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED and Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED. Instructors must have a copy of the appropriate Instructor manual for the course that they are teaching. It is also highly recommended that BLS Instructors review a copy of the student workbook for each course prior to teaching the course.
Course Completion Cards
Training Centers must issue course completion cards within 20 days of successful course completion. Please contact your AHA Instructor or Training Center Coordinator if you have any questions about your card. If you can't remember your Training Center or Instructor's information, visit our Lost Your AHA Completion Card page for more information.
To check the validity of an AHA course completion card, contact the Training Center that issued the card. The Training Center’s information can be found on the back of the card. You can also check our Course Card Reference Guide.
Course completion cards are valid for two years through the end of the month during which the course completion card was issued. For more information, please refer to the Course Card Reference Guide. If you can't remember your Training Center or Instructor's information, visit our Lost Your AHA Completion Card page for more information.
Contact an AHA Training Center near you to inquire about your options for renewing your course completion card. The Training Center will also be able to answer questions about class availability and cost. or contact the Training Center that issued your previous card using the contact information on the back of the card. If you can't remember your Training Center or Instructor's information, visit our Lost Your AHA Completion Card page for more information.
See information on how to find your lost card here.
Yes, AHA course completion cards are accepted in all US states.
The AHA does not require an Instructor to have a valid provider card. However, policy from different agencies or regulatory bodies may make this a requirement.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC) works closely with the AHA. The HSFC provider card is recognized by the AHA and can be used for admission to an AHA provider course (renewal or update) or Instructor course in the same discipline. The HSFC Instructor card is recognized by AHA Training Centers the same way as an Instructor card issued by an AHA Training Center.
We suggest that you show your employer the AHA Course Card Reference Guide to see pictures of HSFC cards and read about our relationship.
Training Site Questions
Becoming a training site is easy and can provide you and your team a number of more advanced benefits to help your overall success. To get started you can schedule an appointment below to get started;
A training site is a authorized business / group that is deemed eligible to represent CPR Suppliers, has a physical location and a minimum number of instructors that report to a managing partner. This often times is the next step after being an instructor if you are looking to open up multiple training locations or expand your already existing base.
Yes. As with anything in the CPR training space its extremely important for everyone under our training center to be kept to the same standards. With this in mind there are multiple ways a training site can lose its eligibility under the training center:
Misc. Questions
Hands-Only CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths. It is recommended for use by bystanders who see a teen or adult suddenly collapse in an “out-of-hospital” setting (such as at home, at work or in a park). It consists of two easy steps:
- Call 9-1-1 (or send someone to do that).
- Push hard and fast in the center of the chest at a rate of 100-120 pushes per minute.
The AHA recommends that healthcare providers use conventional CPR with a combination of breaths and compressions. Conventional CPR should also be used for
The AHA does not endorse "cough CPR," a coughing procedure widely publicized on the Internet. As noted in the AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC, “cough CPR” is not useful for unresponsive victims and should not be taught to lay rescuers.
No. The AHA does not certify people in CPR, first aid, or advanced cardiovascular life support skills; the AHA verifies that, at the time a person successfully completed training, he or she was able to perform skills satisfactorily.
CPR Suppliers offers its own branded training that is available for many different situations where the AHA certifications just don't meet the needs. These cards are credentialed and available exclusively through CPR Suppliers and for more information or to verify the validity of a specific students cards you can contact us.
Currently we are closed during the weekend to keep up with the remote needs of everyone. All orders placed over the weekend will be fulfilled during regular business hours on the next applicable day. Please keep in mind holidays may affect this and cause there to be further delays, please consult with your training site for more information.