Interested in teaching American Heart Association courses?

We frequently receive calls from interested parties inquiring about teaching American Heart Association (AHA) courses.  Please read on to see an overview of how to become an AHA instructor. Some of the following is excerpted from the AHA's Program Administration Manual

So you’d like to teach American Heart Association Courses?

Overview

An AHA Instructor Course teaches the methods needed to effectively instruct others in resuscitation courses. The AHA requires that instructors be at least 16 years of age for Heartsaver Instructor and BLS instructor courses.  ACLS and PALS instructors must be at least 18 years of age and licensed or certified in a healthcare occupation where such skills are within the provider scope of practice.

Instructor Candidate Selection

The ideal instructor candidate is motivated to teach, motivated to facilitate learning and ensures that students acquire the skills necessary for successful course completion. They also view student assessment as a way to improve individual knowledge and skills.

Instructor Course Prerequisites

All prospective participants in an Instructor Course must
Have current Provider status in the discipline they wish to teach

• Complete an Instructor Candidate Application (available from the Training Center)
• Show instructor potential through a provider course  or screening by an AHA Training Center Faculty or Regional Faculty
• Complete the Core Instructor Course (available from the Training Center)

All Instructor Course candidates must own the most current edition of the required AHA Provider textbooks and Instructor’s manuals for the courses they wish to teach. Candidates are required to use Instructor’s manuals during the instructor course.

Instructor Course Completion:
Instructor candidates must demonstrate satisfactory performance of the skills listed in the Faculty Guide for the course, and possess a thorough knowledge of course organization;  course content, including appropriate BLS skills; Instructor responsibilities; and the AHA guidelines for the specific discipline.

Summary:

• If you desire to teach, find a training center (TC) that is willing to "sponsor" you.
• Have that training center fill out an instructor candidate application that states they are willing to become your primary TC. 
• Find an instructor course, and complete all the modules, including the core instructor course.
• Notify your primary TC that you have completed the instructor course.
• Your primary TC will monitor you, or assign  a delegate to do so within the one year allowance period.
• Receive your instructor card.

If you have any further questions, please contact us directly!

Our next scheduled BLS Instructor course is on
Thursday November 10th.  Registration and payment is due
by October 28th.  Please call the office for details!