Basic Life Support (BLS) is the foundation for saving lives after cardiac arrest.

We offer the complete course and the Heart Code Blended Learning.

This course teaches both single-rescuer and team basic life support skills for application in both in-facility and pre-hospital settings. This course is designed for:

  • physicians, physician’s assistants   

  • nurses, medical or nursing students in training

  • respiratory, physical, and occupational therapists,         

  • aides, medical or nursing assistants, and other allied health personnel

  • paramedics

  • emergency medical technicians

  • police officers

  • firefighters

  • laypeople whose work brings them into contact with members of the public, such as school, fitness center, or hotel and restaurant employees.

After successfully completing the BLS course, students should be able to:

  • describe the importance of high-quality CPR and its impact on survival

  • describe all of the steps of the Chain of Survival and apply its BLS concepts

  • recognize the signs of someone needing CPR

  • perform high-quality CPR on adults, children, and infants

  • describe the importance of early AED use and demonstrate using one

  • provide effective ventilations with a barrier device

  • describe the importance of teams in multi rescuer resuscitation and perform as an effective team member during multi rescuer CPR

  • describe the technique for relief of foreign-body airway obstruction (choking) for adults and infants.

    HeartCode® BLS

    HeartCode BLS uses a variety of eLearning assets such as dramatizations, eSimulations, animations, self-directed learning, and interactive activities to teach students BLS knowledge and skills.

    After completing the online portion, students attend a structured BLS Hands-On Session with an AHA Instructor. This session focuses on meaningful skills practice, debriefing, team scenarios, discussions of local protocols, and skills testing.

    HeartCode BLS is for healthcare professionals seeking an alternative method for completing an initial or renewal BLS Course.

    *The American Heart Association strongly promotes knowledge and proficiency in BLS, ACLS and PALS and has developed instructional materials for this purpose. Use of these materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the American Heart Association, and any fees charges for such a course do not represent income to the Association.