# Planning BLS and ACLS Group Training for Healthcare Teams

> Plan BLS and ACLS training for a clinical team: sort roles, keep the two cards separate, verify prerequisites, and keep patient care covered.

Source: https://qkchealth.com/resources/healthcare-team-bls-acls-training/

Last updated: 2026-10-17

How do you plan BLS and ACLS training for a healthcare team? Start from each role's written requirement, then sort staff by credential and by pathway: first card, renewal, or skills session after HeartCode. Track BLS and ACLS cards separately, collect proof before the class, and stagger sessions so patient care stays covered.

Last updated: October 17, 2026 · Written by QKC Health, an AHA Authorized Training Center · Based on AHA course information, QKC Health's class pages, and QKC Health's Terms of Service

**What this guide is:** a planning guide for clinical managers and educators who organize American Heart Association BLS Provider and ACLS Provider training for a team, based on AHA course information, QKC Health's class pages, and QKC Health's Terms of Service.

**What it is not:** hands-on training, a certification, a booking, or a ruling on which roles must hold ACLS, and it does not promise that a specific card will be accepted. Confirm the course and card your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state rules require before you register.

## How to Plan BLS and ACLS Training for a Clinical Team

For clinical managers and educators in medical offices, clinics, surgery centers, home care, dental practices, and other clinical settings.

On a clinical team, some people need BLS Provider only, some also need ACLS Provider, and each person can be at a different point with each card. Plan by person and by credential first, then build the sessions.

1. **Collect the written requirement for each role.** Find the employer policy, credentialing rule, or licensing rule that names the card each role must hold. Do not assign ACLS from a job title alone.
2. **List every card each person holds.** Record the course and the Renew By month for BLS and for ACLS on separate lines.
3. **Sort each person into a class for each credential.** A Provider course for a first card, a renewal course for a current or recently expired card, or a skills session after the AHA online course.
4. **Verify prerequisites and collect proof.** Check current BLS cards for ACLS Provider, online completion certificates for skills sessions, and current or most recent cards for renewals.
5. **Build sessions that keep the clinic covered.** Group people by class, then by shift or site, so patient care and your own emergency response stay staffed.
6. **Send one request.** List every class and headcount when you contact us. Nothing is booked until we confirm the course, date, time, and location in writing.

### What this guide covers

This guide covers the planning decisions that are specific to clinical teams. It does not repeat participant study preparation: send each person the [BLS and ACLS pre-course checklists](https://qkchealth.com/resources/bls-acls-precourse-prep/) for their course and format. For staff outside clinical roles, [Which Course Does Your Team Need?](https://qkchealth.com/resources/team-cpr-course-selector/) compares the courses QKC Health lists. For headcounts, rooms, and timing preferences, use the [group CPR training planner](https://qkchealth.com/resources/group-cpr-training-planner/).

## Who Usually Needs BLS, and Who May Also Need ACLS

Typical choices by role, based on the AHA's own course descriptions. Your written policy, credentialing rules, or licensing rules make the final call.

The AHA describes a different audience for each course. It designs BLS Provider for healthcare professionals and trained first responders who provide care to patients in a wide variety of settings, and for people enrolled in healthcare training programs. It designs ACLS for healthcare professionals who direct or participate in the management of cardiac arrest, stroke, or other cardiopulmonary emergencies, including staff in emergency response, emergency medicine, critical care, and surgery, such as physicians, nurses, and paramedics, and others who need an ACLS card for a job or other requirement.

### Clinical Staff Who Care for Patients

Usually BLS Provider, for roles such as nurses, medical and dental assistants, hygienists, therapists, and home care clinicians. The AHA designs BLS Provider for healthcare professionals who provide care to patients in a wide variety of settings. See the [BLS Provider Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/bls-provider/).

### Staff Who Lead or Join Resuscitation

May also need ACLS. The AHA designs ACLS for healthcare professionals who direct or take part in managing cardiac arrest, stroke, or other cardiopulmonary emergencies, for example in emergency medicine, critical care, and surgery. Your written policy decides which roles need it. See the [ACLS Provider Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/acls-provider/).

### Physicians, Dentists, and Advanced Practice Clinicians

Check each person's own requirement. It can come from credentialing or privileges at a hospital or surgery center, from licensing rules, or from your practice's policy, and it may name BLS, ACLS, or both. Ask each clinician which current cards their file must show. See [ACLS certification classes](https://qkchealth.com/classes/acls/).

### Students and Trainees

Usually BLS Provider. The AHA includes people enrolled in healthcare training programs in its BLS audience. A student's school or program sets its own requirement, so check it before you add trainees to a staff session. See [BLS certification classes](https://qkchealth.com/classes/bls/).

### Front Desk and Other Non-Clinical Staff

Usually Heartsaver CPR AED, if your policy asks them to hold a CPR card. For people who are not healthcare professionals and need a CPR and AED course for work, the AHA says Heartsaver CPR AED is probably best. See [Heartsaver CPR AED](https://qkchealth.com/classes/heartsaver-cpr-aed/).

### Roles Whose Requirement Names Another Course

Follow the requirement as written. A pediatric requirement may name PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support), which the AHA intends for healthcare providers who respond to emergencies in infants and children. Our website does not list PALS, so ask us before you plan for it.

Confirm the course and card your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state rules require before you register.

## Check the Written Requirement Before You Assign ACLS

The AHA describes each course. Your policy and rules decide who must hold it.

The AHA describes who each course is designed for, and on its BLS and ACLS course pages it asks students to contact their employer to make sure they are selecting the correct course. It does not decide which of your staff must hold which card. That comes from the written rules that apply to your team:

- **Your employer's written policy**, such as a job description, an orientation checklist, or a clinical policy that names the card each role must hold.
- **Credentialing or privileging rules** at a hospital or surgery center where your clinicians work or hold privileges.
- **Licensing rules** set by a state licensing board or agency for a profession.
- **Contracts** your organization has signed that set training terms.

Keep a copy of each requirement with your training records, and note which card it names: BLS Provider, ACLS Provider, or both. If a requirement does not name a course clearly, ask whoever set it which AHA course it means before you book. QKC Health's Terms of Service also say participants are responsible for verifying that a specific certification meets the requirements of their employer, licensing board, or regulatory body.

For a step-by-step way to find and read requirements, see [Workplace CPR and First Aid Requirements: What to Verify](https://qkchealth.com/resources/workplace-cpr-first-aid-requirements/). Dental practices can start with [Planning CPR and BLS Training for a Dental Office](https://qkchealth.com/resources/dental-office-cpr-bls-training/).

The role-to-course worksheet from [Which Course Does Your Team Need?](https://qkchealth.com/resources/team-cpr-course-selector/) gives you one place to list each role group, where its requirement is written, the course it names, and the questions still to confirm.

[Download the role-to-course worksheet (Excel workbook, 23 KB)](https://qkchealth.com/resources/group-training/files/qkc-role-to-course-worksheet.xlsx)

## Keep BLS and ACLS Separate in Your Plan

Two courses, two cards, and two Renew By months for anyone who holds both.

### Two courses, two cards

BLS Provider and ACLS Provider are separate AHA courses, and each ends with its own course completion card. Each card is valid for two years, through the end of the month in which it was issued, and shows that month as its Renew By date.

The AHA says BLS is not included in its ACLS courses, and it expects healthcare providers to come to an ACLS course already proficient in BLS skills. Completing ACLS earns an ACLS Provider card. It does not, on its own, earn a BLS Provider card or change a BLS card's Renew By month.

### Is a current BLS card required before ACLS?

The AHA and QKC Health answer this at different levels, and both statements are accurate:

- **The AHA:** its course FAQs say students in ACLS courses are not required by the AHA to have a current BLS Provider card, but they are expected to be proficient in BLS skills, and Training Centers may require a current BLS Provider card. The AHA's ACLS course FAQ lists proficiency in high-quality BLS skills, reading and interpreting ECGs, ACLS pharmacology, and bag-mask ventilation as prerequisites.
- **QKC Health:** as an AHA Training Center, QKC Health lists current AHA BLS Provider certification as a prerequisite on its [ACLS Provider Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/acls-provider/) page.

For planning, treat a current BLS Provider card as required for anyone you book into ACLS Provider with QKC Health, and schedule BLS first for anyone who lacks one. Ask us whether the same applies to people in ACLS Renewal or the ACLS Skills Session before you finalize those groups.

### Track each card's Renew By month

Because the cards are separate, one person can have a BLS card due in one month and an ACLS card due in another. Renewing one card does not change the other card's date. Keep a separate record line for each card, and plan each renewal before its own Renew By month ends.

To set up the process, see [How to Track Employee CPR, BLS and ACLS Renewals](https://qkchealth.com/resources/employee-cpr-certification-tracking/). The team renewal tracker workbook that comes with that guide uses one row per card rather than one row per person, so someone who holds both cards gets a BLS row and an ACLS row.

[Download the team renewal tracker (Excel workbook, 29 KB)](https://qkchealth.com/resources/group-training/files/qkc-team-renewal-tracker.xlsx)

The [CPR and BLS renewal planner](https://qkchealth.com/resources/cpr-renewal-planner/) explains card validity and turns a Renew By month into a renewal window.

### Earning both cards at one class

The AHA's ACLS course FAQ describes an official agenda that lets instructors add BLS skills testing and the BLS exam to an ACLS course, so students who complete it receive both a BLS Provider eCard and an ACLS Provider eCard. The AHA says the BLS portion should be planned in advance with its own registration, a BLS instructor must be present for the infant CPR skills tests and the exam, and both cards must come from the same Training Center. Our website does not list a combined BLS and ACLS class, so ask us before you plan on this. Otherwise, plan BLS and ACLS as separate classes.

## Sort Staff Into Initial, Renewal, and Skills Session Groups

Sort each person once for BLS and once for ACLS. One person can be in a different group for each credential.

**BLS and ACLS class groups**

| Participant | BLS | ACLS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| First card for this credential | BLS Provider | ACLS Provider |
| Card expired for an extended period | BLS Provider | ACLS Provider |
| Card current or recently expired | BLS Renewal | ACLS Renewal |
| Finished the AHA online course | BLS Skills Session, after HeartCode BLS | ACLS Skills Session, after HeartCode ACLS |
| Prerequisite on the class page | None for BLS Provider | Current BLS card for ACLS Provider |
| Proof for a renewal | Current or most recent BLS card | Current or most recent ACLS card |
| Proof for a skills session | HeartCode BLS completion certificate | HeartCode ACLS certificate or confirmation email |

Summarizes QKC Health class pages and AHA course information listed in the Sources section. We confirm which class fits each person, including anyone whose card is past its Renew By month.

### First card: the Provider courses

Book the full course for anyone getting a credential for the first time. QKC Health's [BLS Provider Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/bls-provider/) page says the course needs no prior certification or online coursework, and its [ACLS Provider Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/acls-provider/) page lists a current BLS Provider card as a prerequisite. QKC Health's renewal class pages also send anyone whose card has been expired for an extended period to the full Provider course instead of a renewal.

### Renewal: a current or recently expired card

The AHA offers shorter renewal versions of both courses (it calls the ACLS one the ACLS Update Course) and tells students to ask their Training Center about BLS renewal options. At QKC Health, the [BLS Renewal Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/bls-renewal/) is for people with a current or recently expired BLS Provider card. For an ACLS Provider card in the same position, the class is the [ACLS Renewal Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/acls-renewal/). Participants in either class bring their current or most recent card.

The class pages do not say how long after its Renew By month a card still counts as recently expired, so send QKC Health the Renew By month of anyone whose card has already passed it and ask which class fits.

### Skills session: only after HeartCode online

The [BLS Skills Session](https://qkchealth.com/classes/bls-skills/) is only for people who finished HeartCode BLS online, and the [ACLS Skills Session](https://qkchealth.com/classes/acls-skills/) is only for people who finished HeartCode ACLS online. We ask participants to bring the online completion certificate (for ACLS, the certificate or the confirmation email) and cannot test without proof. The AHA says the online part does not produce a card by itself: students must also complete a hands-on session, sold separately, and must present the certificate of completion to enter it.

QKC Health's BLS Skills Session page says anyone who has not completed the online course needs the full BLS Provider course instead. If someone's online work is not finished in time, move them before the class rather than on the day. [Scheduling Group Training Across Shifts and Locations](https://qkchealth.com/resources/scheduling-group-cpr-training/) covers people whose preparation is incomplete.

### Build groups by class, then by shift

Each pathway is its own QKC Health class, so start with one list per class: BLS Provider, BLS Renewal, BLS Skills Session, ACLS Provider, ACLS Renewal, and ACLS Skills Session. Then split each list by shift or site so the clinic stays covered. [Group Class Formats: Classroom Training and Skills Sessions](https://qkchealth.com/resources/group-cpr-class-formats/) explains how the classroom, renewal, and skills session pathways differ for a group.

Group size matters for small teams. Under QKC Health's Terms of Service, most courses require a minimum of three participants, and ACLS is available to individual participants. If only one or two people need a particular BLS class, say so when you request training and ask us what options there are.

### Examples of sorting

These are generic examples, not real staff:

- A nurse with a current BLS card whose role needs ACLS for the first time goes into ACLS Provider and brings the current BLS card.
- A medical assistant who finished HeartCode BLS online goes into the BLS Skills Session with the completion certificate.
- A clinician whose BLS and ACLS cards both come due this year goes into BLS Renewal and ACLS Renewal, each class planned by the last day of that card's own Renew By month, allowing time for the new card to be issued.
- A new hire with no BLS card whose role requires ACLS takes BLS Provider first, then ACLS Provider.

## Verify Prerequisites and Collect Proof Before Class Day

Decide who collects what, and check it early enough to move anyone who is not ready.

### Who collects proof

Name one person to collect proof, for example the clinical educator or office manager who sends the training request, and name a backup. We ask renewal participants to bring their current or most recent card and require skills session participants to bring proof of the online course, so each person still brings the original card, certificate, or confirmation email on the day.

Set a collection date early enough to move someone into a different class if their proof is missing. Under QKC Health's Terms of Service, a confirmed booking can be canceled or rescheduled at no charge seven or more days before the class, fewer than seven days before it may be charged up to the full course fee, and participants who do not attend a group class do not reduce the confirmed group fee.

### Checking a card

To confirm a card before you assign someone to a renewal, look at the card or eCard itself. The AHA says students and employers can check an eCard with its eCard code or QR code, and that the Training Center that issued a card can confirm its validity. [After the Class: Course Cards and Team Training Records](https://qkchealth.com/resources/cpr-course-cards-training-records/) covers verification and records in more detail.

Collect only what the plan needs: the course, the Renew By month, and the proof each class asks for. Store copies where only the people who manage training records can see them.

### Prerequisites and proof checklist

Tick each item as you confirm it, then print the list to keep with your training request.

**For every participant**

- [ ] **The written requirement for the role is on file** The policy, credentialing rule, or licensing rule that names BLS Provider, ACLS Provider, or both.
- [ ] **Each current card is recorded with its course and Renew By month** One line for the BLS card and a separate line for the ACLS card.
- [ ] **The person is assigned to one class for each credential they need** A Provider course, a renewal course, or a skills session.

**BLS participants**

- [ ] **BLS Renewal: current or most recent BLS Provider card** ask us about anyone whose card is past its Renew By month.
- [ ] **BLS Skills Session: HeartCode BLS certificate of completion** Without proof of the online course, the person cannot take the skills test.

**ACLS participants**

- [ ] **ACLS Provider: a current BLS Provider card** QKC Health lists it as a prerequisite. Ask about ACLS Renewal and ACLS Skills Session participants.
- [ ] **ACLS Provider and ACLS Renewal: precourse self-assessment done** The AHA requires a score of at least 70% before the ACLS course, and students bring the printed report and certificate.
- [ ] **ACLS Renewal: current or most recent ACLS Provider card** ask us about anyone whose card is past its Renew By month.
- [ ] **ACLS Skills Session: HeartCode ACLS certificate or confirmation email** Without proof, the person cannot take part in skills testing.

**Organizer**

- [ ] **Open questions sent to QKC Health** For example, expired cards, a BLS card for ACLS Renewal or skills sessions, and combined BLS and ACLS testing.
- [ ] **Each person has the preparation checklist for their course** The BLS and ACLS pre-course checklists, or the course preparation sheets for group classes.
- [ ] **Accommodation needs shared with QKC Health in advance** Describe the need in general terms, without health details.

### Getting participants ready

Send each person the preparation that matches their class. The [BLS and ACLS pre-course checklists](https://qkchealth.com/resources/bls-acls-precourse-prep/) cover study preparation by course and format, and [Hosting a Group Class: Setup and Participant Preparation](https://qkchealth.com/resources/hosting-group-cpr-class/) offers course preparation sheets: one handout per course, with spaces for your class details. The BLS and ACLS sheets point participants to the full pre-course checklists.

[Download the course preparation sheets (Word document, 25 KB)](https://qkchealth.com/resources/group-training/files/qkc-course-preparation-sheets.docx)

## Keep Patient Care Covered While Staff Train

Stagger sessions so patients, clinic hours, and your own emergency response stay covered.

Group training takes clinical staff away from patients while the class runs. Plan the sessions so that, during each one, the clinic still has the staff it needs on duty.

### Do not train every certified person at once

If every BLS-certified person is in the same session, the people who would normally see patients and answer an emergency are all in one room at the same time. Split clinical staff across more than one session, and spread each role across them: some nurses or assistants in each session, rather than all of one role together.

### Protect your own emergency response

Check your emergency response plan before you set sessions. The people it names to respond, bring the AED, and call 911 should not all be in the same session. If your policy requires an ACLS holder on duty during certain procedures, keep one available while those procedures run, or schedule those ACLS holders' class when no such procedures are booked. The [AED inspection checklist and readiness toolkit](https://qkchealth.com/resources/workplace-aed-readiness-toolkit/) includes a worksheet for response team roles.

### Schedule around clinic hours

- Start from the patient schedule. Before opening, after closing, or a lighter clinic day may disrupt the fewest appointments.
- Hold the time in the schedule while you request training, then confirm or release it when we confirm a date in writing.
- For home care teams, plan around visit schedules and on-call rotations so no visit is left without a clinician.
- For surgery centers and procedure-based practices, plan around the procedure schedule and any staffing your policy requires while procedures run.
- For on-site training, QKC Health's Terms of Service ask you to provide a room large enough for participants to work on the floor during skills practice, with access to power. If the only suitable room is a patient area, schedule the class when that area is closed.

### Plan renewals before cards run out

Each card stays valid through the last day of its Renew By month. Plan each renewal group's class by the last day of the earliest Renew By month in the group, allowing time for cards to be issued, so nobody's card lapses while they wait for a group date. We offer same-day eCards, and the AHA allows Training Centers up to 20 business days after successful course completion to issue a card. If anyone needs proof of a current card with no gap, confirm in writing when their new card will be issued.

For building groups by shift and site, see [Scheduling Group Training Across Shifts and Locations](https://qkchealth.com/resources/scheduling-group-cpr-training/). No date is set until we confirm a booking in writing, so treat any date as a preference until then.

## Finish the Plan and Request Training

Use the team tools, then send one request that lists every class you need.

### Tools for the rest of the plan

- [Which Course Does Your Team Need?](https://qkchealth.com/resources/team-cpr-course-selector/) compares the courses QKC Health lists, helps you split a mixed team, including non-clinical staff, and offers a role-to-course worksheet.
- The [group CPR training planner](https://qkchealth.com/resources/group-cpr-training-planner/) turns headcounts, sessions, timing preferences, and room details into a summary you can paste into a request.
- [How to Track Employee CPR, BLS and ACLS Renewals](https://qkchealth.com/resources/employee-cpr-certification-tracking/) sets up a records owner, a review rhythm, and renewal groups built around each card's Renew By month.
- The [BLS and ACLS pre-course checklists](https://qkchealth.com/resources/bls-acls-precourse-prep/) tell each participant how to prepare for their course and format.

### Request training from QKC Health

QKC Health is an AHA Authorized Training Center serving Fairfield County CT, Westchester County NY, and New Jersey. When your groups are set, request training through the [contact page](https://qkchealth.com/contact/). In the Request Training Information form, choose Healthcare Provider Training as the service, pick the group size, and list in the message:

- How many people need each class: BLS Provider, BLS Renewal, BLS Skills Session, ACLS Provider, ACLS Renewal, and ACLS Skills Session
- How many sessions you need to keep the clinic covered, and your preferred days and times
- Where training would take place, and whether the room has floor space for skills practice and access to power
- Your open questions, such as expired cards, a BLS card for ACLS Renewal or skills sessions, or combined BLS and ACLS testing

You can also call [(212) 548-3284](tel:2125483284). A form submission or a call is a request, not a booking: we confirm the course, date, time, and location in writing, and the price confirmed in writing is the price you pay. The group CPR training planner summarizes the other booking policies, and the full [Terms of Service](https://qkchealth.com/terms/) apply.

## Healthcare Team BLS and ACLS Training: Frequently Asked Questions

### Do all nurses on a clinic team need both BLS and ACLS?

Not necessarily. The AHA designs BLS Provider for healthcare professionals who care for patients, so nurses usually hold a BLS card. The AHA designs ACLS for professionals who direct or take part in managing cardiac arrest, stroke, and other cardiopulmonary emergencies, such as staff in emergency medicine, critical care, and surgery. Whether a particular nurse must also hold ACLS is set by the employer's written policy, credentialing rules, or licensing rules.

### Can staff take ACLS without a current BLS card?

The AHA itself does not require a current BLS Provider card for ACLS, but it expects ACLS students to be proficient in BLS skills, and it allows Training Centers to require a current card. QKC Health's ACLS Provider class page lists current AHA BLS Provider certification as a prerequisite, so plan BLS first for anyone without a current BLS card, and ask us how this applies to ACLS Renewal and ACLS Skills Session participants.

### Does an ACLS card cover a BLS requirement?

Not by itself. The AHA says BLS is not included in its ACLS courses, and BLS Provider and ACLS Provider are separate cards, each valid for two years through the end of the month in which it was issued. If a role must hold BLS, plan a BLS course for that person and track the BLS card separately. If you are unsure how your policy treats the two cards, ask whoever wrote it.

### Can staff renew BLS and ACLS on the same day?

For a BLS class and an ACLS class on the same day, ask us when you request training, because a date and time are set only when we confirm a booking in writing. Earning both cards in one class is a separate option: the AHA gives Training Centers an official agenda that adds BLS skills testing and the BLS exam to an ACLS course, so students who complete it receive both cards from the same Training Center, and it says the BLS portion should be preplanned. Our website does not list a combined class, so ask us about that too before you plan on it.

### How do you organize BLS recertification for a clinic?

List every clinical staff member with the Renew By month on their current BLS card. Group people whose cards run out around the same time, and plan each group's BLS Renewal class by the last day of the earliest Renew By month in the group, allowing time for cards to be issued. Keep enough trained staff on duty during each session. Ask us about anyone whose card has already expired, because QKC Health's BLS Renewal Course is for a current or recently expired card. Collect each person's current or most recent card before the class.

### How can a clinic keep patients covered while staff train?

Split clinical staff across more than one session instead of training everyone who holds a BLS card at once, and spread each role across the sessions. Keep the people your emergency plan names to respond on duty, and schedule around patient hours. If a policy requires an ACLS holder during procedures, keep one available, or schedule those ACLS holders' class when no such procedures are booked.

## Sources

This guide summarizes the following American Heart Association sources and QKC Health's own class pages and Terms of Service. They were checked on October 17, 2026.

1. [Basic Life Support (BLS) Training](https://cpr.heart.org/en/cpr-courses-and-kits/healthcare-professional/basic-life-support-bls-training), American Heart Association
2. [BLS Course Options](https://cpr.heart.org/en/courses/basic-life-support-course-options), American Heart Association
3. [Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)](https://cpr.heart.org/en/cpr-courses-and-kits/healthcare-professional/acls), American Heart Association
4. [Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Course Options](https://cpr.heart.org/en/courses/advanced-cardiovascular-life-support-course-options), American Heart Association
5. [2025 ACLS Course FAQ (PDF)](https://cpr.heart.org/en/-/media/CPR-Files/2025-documents-for-cpr-heart-edits-posting/Courses-Kits/ACLS-FAQ-2025-Final.pdf), American Heart Association
6. [2025 Guidelines HeartCode FAQs (PDF)](https://cpr.heart.org/en/-/media/CPR-Files/2025-documents-for-cpr-heart-edits-posting/Courses-Kits/2025-Guidelines-HeartCode-FAQs.pdf), American Heart Association
7. [Course FAQs](https://cpr.heart.org/en/resources/faqs/course-faqs), American Heart Association
8. [Course Card Information](https://cpr.heart.org/en/resources/course-card-information), American Heart Association
9. [Course Card Reference Guide (PDF)](https://cpr.heart.org/en/-/media/CPR-Files/2025-documents-for-cpr-heart-edits-posting/Resources/KJ1976_CCRG_0926SECURED-%281%29.pdf), American Heart Association
10. [BLS Provider Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/bls-provider/), QKC Health
11. [BLS Renewal Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/bls-renewal/), QKC Health
12. [BLS Skills Session](https://qkchealth.com/classes/bls-skills/), QKC Health
13. [ACLS Provider Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/acls-provider/), QKC Health
14. [ACLS Renewal Course](https://qkchealth.com/classes/acls-renewal/), QKC Health
15. [ACLS Skills Session](https://qkchealth.com/classes/acls-skills/), QKC Health
16. [Terms of Service](https://qkchealth.com/terms/), QKC Health

Last updated: October 17, 2026

## Ready to Plan BLS and ACLS Training for Your Team?

Send QKC Health the number of people who need each BLS and ACLS class and the sessions you need to keep your clinic covered. Most courses require a minimum of three participants, and ACLS is available to individual participants.

- [Request Group Training](https://qkchealth.com/contact/)
- [Call (212) 548-3284](tel:2125483284)

## Disclaimer

**General information only.** This guide is general educational information about American Heart Association (AHA) courses. It is not medical, legal, or OSHA compliance advice. It does not replace hands-on CPR, BLS, or first aid training, and reading it does not certify you in any course. In an emergency, call 911.

**Accuracy.** We strive to keep this guide accurate and current, but AHA guidelines, course content, card rules, and certification requirements can change, and we cannot promise that every detail is complete, current, or free of errors.

**Check the official source.** Before you rely on anything here, confirm course, card, and guideline details with the AHA at [cpr.heart.org](https://cpr.heart.org/), and confirm what you are required to hold with your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state agency. If this guide differs from an official source, follow the official source. You are responsible for confirming which course and card you need before you register.

**Spot an error?** If anything on this page, or anywhere on our site, looks incorrect or out of date, please call us at [(212) 548-3284](tel:2125483284) or send us a message through our [contact page](https://qkchealth.com/contact/) so we can review it and update it.

**About the AHA.** QKC Health LLC is an AHA Authorized Training Center. This guide is written and published by QKC Health, not by the AHA, and the AHA has not reviewed or endorsed it.

The American Heart Association strongly promotes knowledge and proficiency in all AHA courses and has developed instructional materials for this purpose. Use of these materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the AHA. Any fees charged for such a course, except for a portion of fees needed for AHA course materials, do not represent income to the AHA.

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Published by QKC Health LLC (https://qkchealth.com/), an American Heart Association Authorized Training Center serving Connecticut, Westchester County NY, and New Jersey. Phone: (212) 548-3284. Book training: https://qkchealth.com/contact/