BLS instructor candidates must meet certain requirements before taking the Instructor Essentials Course. Before
attending the hands-on session (facilitated by faculty), all instructor candidates must:
1. Be at least 18 years of age
2. Be aligned with an AHA TC
ā Instructor candidates must have a TC that has agreed to accept them as an instructor once they have completed
Instructor Essentials and their monitoring is completed.
3. Have a current AHA BLS Provider course completion card
4. Be proficient in the skills of BLS
ā If we feel that instructor candidates need to be retested in their skills of BLS, this will be included as part of the
Instructor Essentials Course.
5. Complete an Instructor Candidate Application
6. Successfully complete the online portion of Instructor Essentials.
As a BLS Instructor, candidates will also be able to teach any course within the Heartsaver portfolio. Even though
instructor candidates will be able to teach both BLS Provider and Heartsaver courses after completing the BLS Instructor
Essentials Course, you need only a BLS Provider card to take BLS Instructor Essentials.