American Heart Association CPR Instructor Qualifications

The American Heart Association (AHA) is committed to training people to learn how to save lives in emergency situations. The AHA offers basic and specialized training programs for CPR teachers.

Preliminaries

After you locate an AHA training center near you, you must inquire if the center is accepting new instructors and what method of training they offer. Be prepared to pass two courses and demonstrate your skills before you qualify to teach.

Core Instructor Course

There are three routes of taking the core instructor: course online, via the CD-ROM that comes with your textbook, or by classroom instruction.

Material Covered

The core instructor course discusses basic life support, first aid, child/infant CPR and first aid, basic principles of teaching, instructor organization, AED simulator demonstration, adult CPR/first aid, CPR/AED/First aid instructor course, pet first aid and emergency response.

Specialization

You must choose a specialization. You can pick from basic life support, heartsaver, advanced cardiovascular life support or pediatric advanced life support. After you choose your discipline, you must pass a course within it.

Certification

In order to receive your certification to teach, you must demonstrate your knowledge to the satisfaction of an AHA training center.

References

• American Heart Association: How do I become an AHA Instructor?
• Education Portal: CPR Instructor Certification

Resources

• AHA Instructor Network
• 5 Easy Steps to Becoming an AHA Certified Instructor (PDF)