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The AHA’s BLS Course provides the foundation for saving lives from cardiac arrest. It teaches both single-rescuer and team basic life support, with a focus on high-quality CPR and team dynamics.

Course Content

  • New science from the 2015 AHA Guidelines Update for CPR and ECC
  • The components of high-quality CPR for adults, children, and infants
  • The AHA Chain of Survival for prehospital and in-facility providers
  • Important early use of an AED
  • Effective ventilations using a barrier device
  • Importance of teams in multi-rescuer resuscitation and performance as an effective team member during multi-rescuer CPR
  • Relief of foreign-body airway obstruction (choking) for adults and infants

Certification may be obtained in two ways:

Option 1: 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 and complete skills testing.

Participants must complete the online cognitive portion of the HeartCode BLS course prior to their schedule skills evaluation. Participants must present a course completion certificate to the instructor.

Option 2: Traditional Instructor-Led Classroom Course

In this Instructor-led course, students learn the skills of Basic Life Support by active participation in simulated clinical scenarios and learning stations. Students work with an AHA BLS Instructor to complete BLS skills practice and skills testing. Students also complete a written exam.

This four-hour course is offered monthly.

Provider manual:

The American Heart Association requires all students to have a current BLS Provider manual available to them “before, during and after” the class. Students that have the manual prior to class are able to participate more fully in the class, and score better in the practical and written exams. Provider manuals are available included in the cost of your course.

Pocket mask:

Mouth-to-mask ventilation is a require skill of the BLS course. All students are required to have their own pocket masks. Students are not allowed to share masks. Pocket masks are available for purchase from the Life Support Office when you register of the course registration

Important Notes:

For more information or to register for a BLS or HeartSaver course, please contact the Life Support Program at 617-355-2649

For BLS courses there are no refunds issued if the registrant cancels within 1 week prior to the course, does not complete the required precourse material if applicable, or does not attend the course (i.e. “no show”), misses their schedule skills session time, or are more than 15 minutes late for a class.